Every Catholic, and every Catholic organization, feels their own unique sense of emotion and meaning as they mourn the passing of Pope Francis.
One particular foundation in Delaware County, whose mission aims to fund charitable initiatives “that are of particular significance to the Holy Father,” is reflecting on his death in a unique way.
“We felt very close to this particular Holy Father, although we feel close to all of them for different reasons,” said Ward Fitzgerald, the president of the Board of Trustees of the Papal Foundation, based in Chester.
“We’re all saddened by the Holy Father’s death, but we’re joyful in celebration for the life that he lived, for the path that he put us on.”
Pope Francis’ call to bring the compassionate love of Christ to everyone, especially those on the margins of society, set the priorities for the foundation’s work in a particular way.
“He brought on a new era, which his predecessors did in their own right, but his era was an era of reaching out to the marginalized and reaching out to the poor,” said Fitzgerald, who is also the CEO of ExCorde Capital in West Conshohocken.
“His witness as it relates to that particular apostolate of the Church aligned very closely with the Papal Foundation.”