My heart aches for a world without Pope Francis.

His death on April 21 at 88 was inevitable, yet it is still shocking and painful for Catholics everywhere.

Francis was the first Latin American pontiff to lead the Vatican. His language and cultural affinity were important, of course, but that wasn’t what touched my heart during his 12-year papacy.

It was Pope Francis’ unwavering devotion to the poor, the sick, the persecuted and the marginalized that gave me hope about humanity. He understood that those are the people around the world that need a voice, that need a helping hand, that need compassion.

God knows we need a lot of that now more than ever.

I’d never heard of him until March 2013, when he was announced as the 266th pope. He replaced Pope Benedict XVI, whose resignation had stunned the........

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