'I think Pope Francis had us rethink a lot of the things we took for granted, like the environment or migration or care for the poor,' says Father Leger Local Catholics are in mourning following the death of Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff. He died Monday at the age of 88. While bells tolled in church towers across Rome after the announcement, in Barrie a local priest is preparing for the days ahead at his church in the north end. Father Larry Leger, of St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Amelia Street, held a mass early Monday morning and prayed for Pope Francis, who was born in Argentina in 1936. “There is a sadness that comes right away,” Leger told BarrieToday at the church. “He was a great man, obviously of faith, but also he included people and cared for people on the margins and peripheries. He himself came from the periphery. “I think Pope Francis had us rethink a lot of the things we took for granted, like the environment or migration or care for the poor,” he added. “All these different things — maybe we had a preconceived idea of how it should happen, but he helped us rethink those things … and especially to have that common care for our home, the Earth." During this time of mourning, the church will continue to pray for Pope Francis, as they take direction from the archdiocese within the next day or two, in regard to when to hold celebrations and services. “On Tuesday, Cardinal Frank Leo (from the Archbishop of Toronto) will be celebrating the 12:10 p.m. mass at St. Michael’s Cathedral. He will then prepare to depart for Rome to be part of the conclave,” Leger said. The conclave is the assembly of cardinals for the election of a new pope. “This will be the first time that four Canadian cardinals will be able to vote in the conclave,” Leger noted. Could one of the Canadian cardinals be chosen as the next pope? In theory, any one of them could be, but the odds are quite low, according to Leger. The pope’s funeral will take place sometime in the next 10 days, according to Vatican protocol. As for the qualities and direction Leger would like to see in the next pope, he hopes they stay on the current course. “I think that it has been wonderful to see how Pope Francis has spoken out on care for migrants and refugees,” he said. “He’s spoken out for the powerless and the homeless – the people that are on the margins of society. I think that that is a great ministry for the pope to be able to speak out for those who don’t have a voice. So I hope that whoever would be elected would be able to continue that important ministry,” Leger added. Leger would also like the next pope to continue with the ongoing reform of the Vatican, and the different administrative functions within the church. “A kind of in-house kind of thing, (which) was something that was helping to streamline and make the church more accessible and relevant in our modern day,” he said. Meanwhile, the mourning will continue, but celebrating an accomplished life will also be done. “While it’s a sad thing to think of the death, it’s also maybe a day of joy for Francis, that he has been able to come home to the Father and be greeted by God, who says, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’” Leger said.