KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – With the passing of Pope Francis, members of the Catholic community in Kansas City came together at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for a special Mass. The Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph held the service to honor the life of the late pontiff and to pray for the cardinals who will soon select the next pope.

Bishop James Johnston led the homily, focusing on the legacy Pope Francis leaves behind and the direction the Church must continue to pursue. “One of the things that Pope Francis left us with is an awareness that we can never be inward facing,” Bishop Johnston said. “We always have to be outward facing, especially to the peripheries.

That needs to continue, I believe.” Bishop Johnston acknowledged the enormity of the task the new leader will face, with an estimated number of Catholics across the globe numbering around 1.4 billion. “It’s an unimaginable job in the sense of the responsibility, which is why we need to pray,” Johnston said. Among the congregation, emotions were mixed—mourning the loss of a spiritual leader, while also looking ahead to the future.

“I think Pope Francis set a high bar,” said Scott Weinberg.”I’ve been a Catholic for about 40 years, and each Pope has sort of has been the right one for the times he faced.” Others reflected on the personal impact Pope Francis had on their faith. “I felt we were very fortunate for the past 12 years to have Pope Francis and the things that he had done around the world to help the poor, the disadvantaged, the people that needed it the most,” said Frank Portanova. “Hopefully our new pope will help us find a better day.” Matt Combs shared what he believes is the most important thing for the next pontiff to embody.

“He just needs to be – he needs to be humble. He needs to be open to the Holy Spirit,” Combs said. Copyright 2025 KCTV.

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