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'Very kind person': New Mexico Archbishop John Wester reflects on the legacy of Pope Francis
Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester speaks at An Interfaith Remembrance of the Trinity Test at St. John XXIII Catholic Community on Sunday, July 14.
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Archbishop of Santa Fe John Wester, who was appointed by Pope Francis in 2015, met with him many times.
"He was very warm, very affable. He put you at ease, and was very easy to talk to, very kind, you know, very concerned about you and in this case, the people of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. And he was known for that. Just a gentle, very kind person, and it came out quite clearly."
Wester said Pope Francis exemplified the teachings of Jesus, making the pastoral outreach of the Church a priority.
"Pope Francis's legacy will be that he really cared so much for the poor, the immigrant, those on the periphery, the downtrodden. That was part of his ministry in Buenos Aires as Archbishop there, and he certainly brought that with him as Pope.
That's not to say that he didn't write "wonderful encyclicals," Wester said, focusing on messages of environmental stewardship; brotherly love, and about the importance of love in general.
"He had that part of him, but he also was really, super, super good about caring for the needy, the poor," Wester said. "And that's really the gospel. Jesus had a tremendous outreach to the poor and Pope Francis underscored that."
