"He was dear to all people, very down to earth. You’ve never seen any of that kind of person, so humbled," said James Dmello, who was among around 800 people at a Saturday evening Mass at Holy Name Cathedral on the Near North Side.

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at age 88, the Vatican announced. The big picture: Francis pushed the Catholic Church to the left, which satisfied Catholics seeking modernization but dismayed traditionalists.

Re called Francis “a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone.” He recalled the last image many people have of Francis was of him delivering what would become his final blessing on Easter Sunday, and saluting from the popemobile in the same piazza where his funeral was being celebrated.