Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia remembered Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88, as an “amazing man of faith” and recalled with gratitude a personal encounter with the Pope who called the world to encounter Jesus and one another.

Speaking on EWTN News Nightly April 21, Archbishop Pérez described his feelings upon learning of the Holy Father’s death.

“Early this morning, about quarter to 5, I got a text from one of our diocese staff telling me that the Pope had died. It was a surprise. I was surprised, and the surprise quickly turned into sadness,” he said.

“Then this great spirit of gratitude filled my heart, my soul: gratitude to God for this amazing man of faith, the man of the Church,” Archbishop Pérez said.

The archbishop said that on the many occasions that he has seen the Pope, he was always struck by his humility.

“He was always so genuine and authentic — and a simplicity to him, which was very moving,” he said.

On one occasion, five years ago, when he was bishop of Cleveland on an ad limina visit to the Vatican, Archbishop Pérez said, he was touched when the Pope spoke took him aside to speak with him in Spanish. Archbishop Pérez, 63, the son of exiles from Cuba, was born in Miami.

“I happened to be the last one in line as we’re walking out. We spoke for about 15 minutes, him and me, and it was really wonderful,” Archbishop Pérez said. “He didn’t tell me I was coming to Philly at the time. But as a Latin American, it always was so special for me to speak to the Holy Father in Spanish.”

“That will always be something really, really very special,” he said.

In 2015, years before he was appointed archbishop by Pope Francis in 2020, then-Bishop Pérez was in Philadelphia when the Pope visited the city during the World Meeting of Families.

“Those days of the Holy Father's visit to Philadelphia are forever ingrained in the heart of every Philadelphian. I was there, right by the altar. It was moving; it was electric. It was the joy of the people and the joy of the Holy Father, something that we still talk about here in Philadelphia,” Archbishop Pérez said.

He added that he had just celebrated Mass at the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, where the Holy Father had celebrated Mass, and remembered the crowds of faithful that had turned out to see the Pope.

“We had a full cathedral. It was beautiful. We hold the Holy Father deep in our hearts,” he said.

The Pope, he said, will be remembered for his call for the world to encounter Jesus and one another with mercy.

“I think the Holy Father is going to be remembered by key words. He called us to encounter. It was the very first paragraph of The Joy of the Gospel, calling the world to renew their encounter with Jesus Christ,” he said.

“He called us to generosity of heart, to a merciful heart. He was the pope of the poor, the pope of the marginalized, the pope of the immigrant,” said the archbishop.

“He had a special place in his heart for people who felt that they were on the outskirts and called us to go out to meet them and encounter them with the joy of the Gospel.”

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