For the Rev. Father Fadie Gorgies of the St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Troy, Pope Francis leaves behind a legacy of care and compassion for those on the margins of society, as Nushrat Rahman explains for the Detroit Free Press.
Gorgies, an assistant priest, said the Pope inspired him to become a chaplain at the Oakland County Jail. Pope Francis' focus on the marginalized — those imprisoned and facing addiction — has shaped Gorgies' own ministry. His Mass on the morning of April 21 was dedicated to the Pope, who, at 88 years old, died earlier that day.
"Pope Francis has really opened our eyes to mercy," Gorgies, 36, said. As a chaplain, collecting clothes for people inside and outside of jail, Gorgies said he gets to witness firsthand the overwhelming generosity of the Chaldean community in metro Detroit — and that is a reflection of the Pope's example.
"That language of mercy spoke to them, and I think they want to see that continue in the church. The church that does not have a hand of mercy, that does not help the poor, is — to me — not following the teachings of Jesus Christ and Pope Francis really brought the church to do that," said Gorgies, whose church serves many of the region's Iraqi American Catholics.
The head of the Catholic Church meant a great deal to metro Detroit's Chaldean community. He was the first pope to visit Iraq.
"He was one of us," Gorgies said. And so it meant something to the Chaldean community when they saw the Pope praying in Aramaic, listening to the chants and stories of the Chaldean tradition and culture, he said.
In 2021, Pope Francis went to Iraq, a historic visit praised by Iraqi Americans, Christian and Muslim, across southeast Michigan at the time as a way to advocate for peace after decades of conflict. Metro Detroit is home to a significant Iraqi population, many of whom are Chaldean.
"His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized," said the Bishop Francis Kalabat, of the Chaldean Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle in Southfield, in a statement posted to social media on Monday. "With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God."
The Chaldean diocese serves about 200,000 Catholics in the eastern half of the U.S., and 10 of its 12 parishes — including Gorgies' church, St. Joseph — are in Michigan.
In his 2025 autobiography, "Hope," Pope Francis said his visit to Iraq was one he was determined to not miss, despite "almost everyone" advising him against the journey. He wrote that he "felt the need to go and visit our grandfather Abraham, the common ancestor of Jews, Christians, and Muslims."
The Pope met with authorities in Baghdad, clergy and the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a leader of Iraq's Shiite Muslims, in his home. "So long as I live, Iraq will always remain with me: We must be worthy of the commitment of those Christians and the sacrifice of those people," Pope Francis wrote.
The Pope mentioned two apparent attempts on his life — one of a woman carrying explosives to blow herself up during the papal visit and another brief account of a truck with the same goal, according to his autobiography. The attacks during the papal visit were intercepted by Iraqi and British authorities, the Pope wrote.
"When you're marginalized, when you've been in wars, when you're exhausted, you might feel like you don't matter, really, but then he comes to you and it puts you on the map. ... Whether the Chaldeans were in Iraq at the time or outside of Iraq, it told us that regardless of how you've suffered and what you've experienced, you still matter. You're still worth my visit and my time," Gorgies said.
The papal visit "took him from being a pope to being a shepherd," Gorgies said, because the former is a title, whereas the latter is what he does — it's action. A shepherd is someone who protects his flock, who knows those he leads by name, he said.
"This man is real when he says, we need to smell like the sheep. This man is real when he says we need to take care of the marginalized," Gorgies said. "He's not just talk, he's action. And his simplicity is not fake, it's real. And so to me, it was an eye opener that he's willing to risk his life, but he is true and authentic to what he says, and that challenged me to try to be the same."
The Sterling Heights-based Chaldean Community Foundation also released a statement on social media mourning the death of Pope Francis and noted his commitment to "the marginalized, a focus on interfaith dialogue, and a call for unity among Christians."
"The Chaldean community shares a special bond with the Jesuit order, rooted in a history of education, collaboration, and mutual respect, and also with the pope himself, as the son of an immigrant father," the unsigned statement went on to say.
"Pope Francis's outreach to Chaldean communities, including his historic visit to Iraq in 2021, underscored his dedication to fostering unity and healing in regions scarred by conflict. In 2017, he urged Chaldean bishops to be 'builders of unity,' emphasizing the importance of dialogue and cooperation in healing divisions and promoting peace."
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