You had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis on a number of occasions. What are your general thoughts about your encounters now that he has passed?

I had the opportunity, the blessing, really, to personally meet the Holy Father on three occasions during my time as bishop. And he was always very kind, very warm, very sincere, and also had a sense of humor. That's something that maybe people may not know about him, but he had made a couple of humorous comments to me based on my height. I'm six foot eight, so very tall. And of course, the Holy Father noted that. In fact, the last time I met him, which was about a year ago in April when I was in Rome, he did ask me if I played basketball.

He was known for his “in the air” press conferences as well. We really never knew what was going to come from him, did we?

Some of his most famous quotes came on those flights back from his papal journeys around the world. He certainly was open and accessible to speaking with the press, and it was a good opportunity for them to get to know him and to hear what was on his mind.  

Where does the Church go from here?  

Well, of course, this will be a period similar to when we lose somebody in our family, a period of mourning in the coming days. There will be his funeral at Saint Peter's (Basilica) and then there'll be a further period of mourning, followed by what we call the Conclave, which is the gathering of all the active Cardinals in the Church, who will invoke the Holy Spirit through their prayer and they will select the next Pope.

What can the people do here, locally as a church?

I think primarily what we can do is to pray for the Holy Father, something he always ended his conversations with whenever you met him was “pray for me.” He would say that every single time he would say, “pray for me.”

Some might ask, “when the holy father passes away, do bishops go to Rome for the funeral?”

I am actually traveling to Rome, but this was a previously scheduled trip that happens now to coincide with the passing of Pope Francis. So, I will be in Rome and I hope to be able to attend his funeral while I’m there.*

What do you think his legacy will be now? What will people remember him for?

I think he'll be known for a number of things. First of all, you remember he took the name Francis. He's the first pope in history to take the name of Francis, of course, after St. Francis of Assisi. I think that expressed his desire to live a life of simplicity. He chose not to reside in the papal apartment at the Vatican but rather chose to live in a smaller apartment in what's considered to be a hotel within Vatican City because he wanted to be with other people and not to be isolated.  

Of course, through his writings, he taught us to preach the joy of the Gospel, to evangelize. He also taught us to go to the peripheries of society and of the world, and to reach out to and care for the poor and for the marginalized. And he taught us to care for the environment, that the environment is our common home, a gift that's given to us from God and that we have a responsibility to be good stewards of the environment.

*Update (as of 4/23/25) Bishop Gregory Parkes is in Rome for the Holy Father’s Funeral

Bishop Gregory Parkes has confirmed he is attending the pope’s funeral.

Bishop Parkes studied in Rome from 1996 to 2000. He studied at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he received a Graduate Bachelor of Theology degree in 1998 and a Licentiate in Canon Law in 2000. Prior to his ordination the priesthood in 1999, he was ordained a deacon at St. Peter’s Basilica in 1998.

Also, in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis is Father Ralph D’Elia, Director of Episcopal Ceremonies. Father Ralph attended the procession today in the Vatican as the mortal remains of Pope Francis were transferred from the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica, where his body will lie in state so the faithful may pay their respects until his funeral on Saturday.

Father D’Elia also studied to become a priest in Rome at the Pontifical North American College. He was ordained a deacon in 2018 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and in 2019, he was ordained a priest in St. Petersburg. He currently serves as the chaplain for St. Petersburg Catholic High School and Director of Episcopal Ceremonies for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg.