Northeast Ohio pastor reflects on meeting Pope Francis: 'A bridge builder'

Northeast Ohio pastor reflects on meeting Pope Francis: 'A bridge builder'

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (WJW) - The pastor of Saint Raphael Catholic Church in Bay Village said Pope Francis will be remembered as a bridge builder and a man of the people. Father Dan Schlegel has a unique perspective after being part of six audiences with the pontiff over the past 12 years. "What we got in Francis was the heart. To really be a servant leader and it fills my heart with joy that we were able to have him for as long as we did," Schlegel…

‘If in the course of history divisions have been a cause of suffering, today we must commit ourselves to reverse the course, moving forward along paths of unity and fraternity, which begin precisely by praying, studying and working together,’ he said in 2023, in an audience with the participants of an ecumenical meeting. FROM CISMATIC TO ‘SEPARATE BROTHERS’The Second Vatican Council, convened by John XXIII, was a doctrinal renewal, also in relat…