Pope Francis closely followed the Archdiocese of Los Angeles during difficult times, Gomez said. He noted the pontiff was troubled when he heard about the 2023 murder of Bishop David O’Connell.

According to Reuters, Pope Francis was 88 years old at the time of his death. His demise came as a shock, as he recently toured St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile to greet the crowd on ...