Lincoln bishop chimes in on Catholic Church’s future post-Pope Francis
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Catholic Church is remembering Pope Francis and looking to the future.
“He was so gentle, and his humility and simplicity kind of put me at ease,” said Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln.
As the church prepares to mourn for nine days, the question of what will come next is heavy on many people’s minds.
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Conley told Channel 8 this is a bittersweet time.
“This is an exciting time,” he said. “A time to mourn the loss of a pope, but also an exciting time for the future, to know that the church will continue on like she has for 2,000 years.”
Conley said the Catholic Church will continue many of Pope Francis’ teachings.
“He was emphasizing the importance of being attentive to the poor and those who are in most need,” the bishop said. “He was also very clear on the moral teachings of the church regarding marriage and family life. I think those are themes that will continue to endure.”
SEE ALSO: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen orders flags to fly at half-staff for Pope Francis
As for a new pope, Conley said it is up in the air, but he hopes to see some diversity.
Specifically, he’d like to see an African pope because Christianity is growing fast there.
“The interesting thing about Pope Francis is that he selected cardinals from all over the world, many of them very obscure, from small countries,” he said. “So it’ll be very interesting because in a certain sense, there’s no front-runners.”
