PHOENIX — Catholics around the world have been gathering for days praying for Pope Francis’s recovery after facing faltering health.
At the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, a picture of Pope Francis greets you as you enter through the lobby doors.
Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina took the name Francis after being elected to lead the church in 2013, and has become more than just a religious leader.
"I think more than anything, he's like a family member, like a shepherd who leads us. I think the emotion that people feel is because he's connected with us. He's not just a distant figure," said Father John Muir, the vicar general at the Diocese of Phoenix.
Muir met the pope in person a year and a half ago.
"He was so tender and so warm. I was really impressed with his wisdom and his intelligence, but also his sense of humor. I mean he was just laughing and kind of teasing us," said Muir.
That sense of humor has emanated throughout the pontiff’s ministry to the needy and marginalized. His papal name, after all, honors St. Francis of Assisi, a patron saint of the poor.
Muir recalls the moments being at the Vatican to hear the pope speak for the first time after his election.
"From the first moment I heard him speak, I remember thinking this is a pope who's going to be really special: compassionate, merciful, down-to-earth, kind of one-with-the-people," said Muir.
As the 88-year-old tries to recover from pneumonia, the church waits and prays for his recovery; the faithful, leaving it to God for what happens next.
"Pope Francis always wants us to be people filled with hope. So I think that'd be my word of advice: we pray, give thanks and have the hope that Pope Francis wants us to have," said Muir.
