By The Canadian Press

‘Like time stopped’: memorial mass in Montreal pays tribute to Pope Francis

Apr 26, 2025 | 12:54 PM

MONTREAL — Hours after waking to watch Pope Francis being laid to rest, several dozen faithful paid a final tribute to the late pontiff at a memorial mass at Montreal’s Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral on Saturday.

The downtown cathedral — a one-quarter replica of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome — has been at the centre of events in Montreal marking the passing of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday. A larger crowd gathered on Tuesday evening for a requiem mass.

Christian Lépine, the Archbishop of Montreal, presided over the Saturday mass. Like many, he was up at the crack of dawn to watch the procession on television and has been at the heart of local events.

“It’s like time stopped for the whole week,” Lépine said at the conclusion of the sombre event.

“Pope Francis was at the forefront of many things,” Lépine said. “We give the people the space where they can mourn together and pray together so that’s what we’ve been doing, offering a space with the people to mourn together.”

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Michelina Lavoratore said she came to pay her respects for Francis and said the pope should be remembered for his frequent calls for peace that fall on deaf ears of political leaders.

Lavoratore, a dame of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a Catholic order, said as such, she had a special attachment to the pope.

“I admired him,” she said.

But also on the minds of some Catholics is who will come next. Lavoratore said for the next pope, she hopes the person is a conservative who doesn’t make too many changes and respects traditions in place.

Geronimo Fernadez was also on hand to pay his respects.

“He made a lot of changes quickly,” Fernandez said of Pope Francis, adding that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Fernandez said his hope for the next pope is someone younger and authentic.

For his part, Denis Pelchat gave Pope Francis high marks and said while he couldn’t get everything done on his list, what he did was remarkable.

“I’m here to pay tribute to Pope Francis, who I loved, who I read, who inspired me greatly,” Pelchat said. As for the next pope, Pelchat said he’ll “trust in God.”

“I have no expectations. For the past 50 years, we’ve always been amazed by all popes who have been elected, who’ve always brought something special,” Pelchat said.

Asked about his own hopes for the next pope, Lépine was coy.

“I’m expecting to be surprised by the choice of the next pope,” he said with a smile.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2025.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press