Albany Mass in memory of Pope Francis

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -On Divine Mercy Sunday, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany held a Mass in memory of Pope Francis. All were welcome inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

“It’s different when you’re in your own town and you get to go in there with your fellow Catholics and pray. Pray for the Pope who was so good to us,” stated Kathy Yanas.

There was even new faces in the crowd. “I’m not even a member of this church. I went to Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in the morning but I wanted to come to this special Mass because I really admire Pope Francis,” said Mary Bitel.

When NEWS10’s Anthony Krolikowski asked these two parishioners, Kathy and Mary, why they felt so strongly about Pope Francis, they said he had a way of bringing everyone together.

“He lived in such a simple way and he cared for the poor. I think he’s taught us a lot of lessons,” mentioned Yanas. “He seemed to try to open up his opinion on bringing people back to the church who maybe have felt not welcomed in the past.”

“They were married, gay couple, and they had three children and they wrote a letter to the Pope because they wanted their children to go to Catholic school and they didn’t know if they’d be allowed. He didn’t write back. He called them up and told them, no problem,” recalled Bitel.

During Mass, the Diocese said it was the Pope of Mercy’s self-awareness that made him relatable to so many.

“’I am a sinner.’ The Pope said that? I felt so good when he said that because it told me, not only because I felt good being a sinner myself, but I felt good to hear that he obviously knew he needed savior.”