In the wake of Pope Francis’ death April 21, the Georgetown University community has continued to mourn his life and celebrate his legacy.
Francis’ 12 years as leader of the Catholic Church left a legacy of his care for immigrants, refugees and underserved communities. Since his death, Georgetown students and faculty have praised Francis’ lifelong commitment to service, humanity and interfaith dialogue, noting his influence on the university’s mission as the first Jesuit pope.
Kim Daniels — director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, which leads programming on Catholic social teachings and interreligious dialogue, and an adviser to the Vatican’s communications team — said Francis inspired Georgetown community members to embrace service to others.
“From his election twelve years ago when he first humbly asked for the people’s blessing, to his last Easter message of joy and hope, Pope Francis has lifted up a vision of our Church renewed in our mission of mercy, humble yet bold, rooted in tradition yet forward-looking and above all keeping our doors open to all, especially the poor and vulnerable,” Daniels wrote to The Hoya. “I’m so sad for his passing and so grateful for his life and leadership.”
Fr. Greg Schenden, S.J., director of Campus Ministry, met Francis in a private audience in summer 2023 while at a Georgetown conference in Rome. Schenden said Francis’ kindness and sincerity were omnipresent in his life and pontificate.
“Shaking his hand and the way he gazed into my eyes and the look on his face — I just simply said, ‘Thank you for everything,’” Schenden told The Hoya. “That gaze and that look in that smile on his face — and you’ve seen it in so many photos — that was real. And he’s no longer with us.”
In the evening following Francis’ death, Campus Ministry hosted a rosary for the pope and the university posted a webpage with reflections from administration members and chaplains of differing faiths.
Schenden said that while he mourns the pope, the support of the Georgetown community comforts him.
“These days have been sad days, but very, very, graced days in terms of people looking beyond all the usual and all the business and chaos,” Schenden said. “It is so much of what Francis embodied in terms of being present and caring and showing kindness to one another.”
More than 100 Georgetown community members attended an interfaith vigil at the steps of the Old North patio after the university rosary April 21. At the vigil, students reflected on Francis’ legacy by reading statements while Campus Ministry chaplains across faiths lit candles to honor Francis.
Joe Massaua (SFS ’25), who helped organize the vigil, said the event aimed to welcome non-Catholic community members, a goal that reflected Francis’ and Georgetown’s interreligious emphasis.
“This type of vigil was probably happening last night at other Catholic universities across the country, but to what extent were they interfaith?” Massaua told The Hoya. “I think that’s what makes Georgetown unique. We wanted to open this up to the entire Georgetown community.”
“It’s radical welcoming, and that’s exactly what Pope Francis espoused,” Massaua added.
Zadie Weaver (CAS ’28), who attended the vigil, said its high attendance also encapsulated Georgetown’s Jesuit values.
“It’s a testament to Georgetown’s commitment to its Jesuit values that so many people are here, across all faiths,” Weaver told The Hoya. “It’s really great to see.”
Francis also influenced various Georgetown programs. The university hosted a series of dialogues discussing Francis’ mission and rooted its sustainability commitments in Francis’ call to care for the environment.
Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J., university vice president for mission and ministry, said Francis inspired Georgetown by emphasizing a “culture of encounter,” building connections and dialogue across faiths and differences.
“Georgetown really took that phrase to heart, and we have tried to see our work as a Catholic and Jesuit institution to really engage the world — whether it’s in terms of faith traditions, geopolitics, collaborating with the pope on concerns that were very important to him,” Bosco told The Hoya. “‘Culture of encounter’ would be the first thing that Georgetown has really taken to heart and seen him as a kind of inspiration for.”
Starting in 2021, Georgetown developed a project based on Francis’ culture of encounter, aiming to unite global scholars across disciplines in discussions through 2025. Campus Ministry also created its pre-orientation program “Encounter” based on Francis’ use of the term, encouraging incoming students to build interfaith relationships.
Francis met with Georgetown students and faculty at international faith conferences in 2013 and 2023 and expressed public support for a Georgetown conference in 2021. He also discussed migration and displacement with two Georgetown students in 2022.
In October 2024, Georgetown students traveled to the Vatican to attend a synod, a global Catholic conference drawing attendees from around the world, and the trip aimed to promote dialogue and understanding.
Nidhi Somineni (CAS ’25), who attended the synod, said that while she is not religious, Francis’ empathy and humanity helped develop her faith.
“It was important and meaningful, at least to me, to see him emphasize compassion and care, especially from a more social justice perspective,” Somineni wrote to The Hoya. “His humility was really beautiful to watch, and it really reframed the way that I see my own faith. Faith that is rooted in love and care for each other and our environment, for all forms of life is how we build community.”
During his pontificate, Francis made changes to how the Church talks about social issues. Francis upended Catholic precedent through embracing same-sex civil unions, defending the LGBTQ+ community in certain instances and saying he should not “judge” a homosexual person.
CC Mesa (SFS ’26), a member of a queer Catholic faith community at Georgetown who also spoke at the student vigil, said Francis’ outreach to the LGBTQ+ community enabled to embrace both her Catholic and queer identities.
“He’s actually doing the work and not just nominally saying things to gain popularity,” Mesa told The Hoya. “He lost a lot of popularity in doing that, and he has constantly had his popularity fluctuate because of how progressive he’s been towards LGBTQ people.”
“I don’t think Georgetown would have a queer Catholic faith community club if not for Francis making that okay to do,” Mesa added.
Georgetown also embraced Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si,” a papal letter calling for care for the environment, by creating sustainability commitments and the Earth Commons Institute, an environmental research and education initiative.
Annie Selak, a professor of feminist theology and director of Georgetown’s Women’s Center, said Georgetown should continue to strive toward Francis’ mission by centering accessibility, environmentalism and service.
“Pope Francis opened a door for us to take these concepts that he was introducing and run with them and integrate them into our local context,” Selak told The Hoya. “He gave us an invitation. We don’t have to do it, but he gave us an invitation to imagine how we could truly live into our Catholic identity.”
Schenden said Francis’ dedication to humanity and compassion is his central legacy.
“Francis would probably say he was not a perfect human being — nobody is — but to aspire to that kind of openness towards others who are seemingly not like us, in coming to recognize this common human dignity, I think that is foundational in terms of leaving a legacy,” Schenden said. “That is something that we can continue here. You all are going to take that out to the world.”