The first reaction to the death of Pope Francis, even for people who did not agree with all of his decisions, is to pray for God’s mercy and for the cardinals who will gather to choose his successor, Father Chris Alar, the provincial superior of the Marian Fathers in the United States and Argentina, said on Newsmax Monday. 

“As Catholics and part of the Catholic family, the Church of Christ, our obligation is to always pray for those entrusted to us as leaders, even if we’re not very much totally in agreement of some of the decisions or the actions that were taken,” Alar told Newsmax’s “Wake Up America. “That at this point doesn’t matter. Right now, we pray for the repose of his soul and the Catholic Church.”

Catholics must also pray for the cardinals who will enter into the conclave to pick the pope’s replacement, said Alar. 

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.