HONOLULU (KHON2) – The loss of Pope Francis is hitting hard for about 300,000 Catholics throughout the state. Monsignor Gary Secor, the Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Church in Hawaii shared the moment when he met the Pope in person.
“As we were going to the library, before we went in, the person who was sort of handling us said something very interesting. He said when you go in and meet the Pope, please do not curtsy, do not bow, do not kiss his ring, Pope Francis doesn’t like that. Just shake his hand. I thought ‘oh that’s interesting.’ That kind of set the tone for how he was so warm and accepting of us as we met him,” said Monsignor Secor.
Monsignor Secor tells us selecting the next Pope doesn’t take long and we could see one by the end of May.
“We’ve been doing this for centuries so there’s quite a bit of protocol. I believe the funeral will be on Saturday. And soon after that, I think the first part of May, will be the Conclave. And the Cardinals will come throughout the world to Rome and meet at the Sistine Chapel in a confidential, secret meeting. And in that process with God’s help, with the Holy Spirit, they discuss and choose the next Pope,” he explained.
A special memorial mass for Pope Francis is planned for Monday, April 28 at 6 p.m. at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa in Honolulu.