Although Pope Francis did not visit Los Angeles on his recently concluded trip to the United States, people of faith within the area are still feeling the effect of his visit — and are wondering how the Pope’s message of compassion and mercy could affect civic life in L.A.

Regina Bunye, a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood and a member of LA Voice, a faith-based nonprofit specializing in civic works, was in Philadelphia during the Pope’s visit to the city. 

While she was not on the tarmac when the Papal Plane landed, Bunye says the excitement of his visit was very much palpable, even in a Starbucks at the Downtown Sheraton in downtown Philadelphia.

“The second he stepped out of the plane, everybody applauded in the hotel lobby,” she says. “The energy — it was just so warm. Everyone was welcoming to him.”

“I’ve been inspired,” Bunye says. “I have a lot of non-Catholic friends and their reaction to him has been amazing. They see him as a role model too.”

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Father Joseph Palacios, a sociologist, Jesuit Priest and University Fellow for the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at The University of Southern California, attended the White House arrival ceremony for the Pope, as well as his speech to Congress.

“It felt like an inauguration,” Palacios says, likening it to the first time President Barack Obama took the oath of office.

“Same energy, same expectations and hopes,” says Palacios, who was most struck by the diverse mix of people attending the state-sponsored events.

In Los Angeles, groups like LA Voice are looking to take that energy and convert it into works. 

On September 29, LA Voice, along with L.A. City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Homeboy Industries founder Father Gregory Boyle and Bishop David O’Connell from the Los Angeles Diocese, will be visiting Men’s Central Jail, where they will pray and wash the feet of the inmates.

Following the Pope's visit, Harris-Dawson says, "There is a renewed sense of reverence amongst believers for the sanctity of service to the poor, oppressed and disadvantaged."

The event was inspired by the Pope’s trip, which included a visit to a Philadelphia prison, where he spoke with the incarcerated and expressed his desire to make their experiences his own.

This message of inclusion is one that many in the Catholic church — and outside of it — find notable, says Palacios.

Young people in particular seem to be drawn to his message of compassion, which they find progressive.

“I like him. I’m Christian but I’m not one of those very Orthodox Christians,” says Ofelya Tevosyan, an accounting student at USC. “I’m pro-gay marriage and pro-abortion and pro-divorce, I feel like he’s going a bit in that direction too. I like that.”

SEE ALSO: Pope and Bishops Divided Over Homosexuality

Peter Gudiatis, President of The National Disaster Interfaiths Network, says that it is the manner in which he delivers his message that is remarkable, more so than his doctrine.

“This pope has sort of put himself in a position in being a prophetic voice of truth that transcends denominational identity,” says Gudiatis.

“He doesn’t believe in gay marriage [or] abortion,” points out Gudiatis — stances that would normally turn off some progressives. “But I think that we’re kind of desperate for compassion…and he delivers that. It’s not just that church is against abortion, it’s for forgiveness, it’s for reconciliation. It’s for healing.” 

This positive message — his focus on compassion and mercy — has set an example to young Catholics of “how to live out the Catholic faith,” says Megan Sweas, a public communication specialist and reporter who specializes in Catholicism. 

“Not just praying on Sundays but interacting with the poor and solving the world’s problems and getting face to face with immigrants, prisoners, with people suffering from poverty,” are what draws young Catholics to the Pope, Sweas says. “And he does it with joy.”

Palacios, a sixth generation Mexican-American who has studied the intersection between Latin American culture and religion, was particularly struck by Pope Francis’s message on immigration — a message he delivered in Spanish at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. 

“[He] has defended the immigrant. This Pope is on our side; the Church is on our side,” says Palacios, recounting how Pope Francis characterized immigration during his Philadelphia remarks, noting it as a strength of the United States and urging that immigrants “allow themselves to be part of this country and fully who they are,” says Palacios.

Palacios believes that the Pope’s Argentinian roots have helped inform his work with the marginalized and voiceless, noting the Pope’s work as a Cardinal in Buenos Aires, where he regularly ministered to residents of the city's shantytowns, earning himself the nickname "The Bishop of the Slums." 

SEE ALSO: Pope Francis Calls For Recognition of Armenian Genocide

But the challenge now is how the Catholic Church and other institutions can follow the Pope’s lead and address issues of integration and inclusion within its local communities.

“What are the next steps? I don’t know that the Church is addressing that very well," says Palacio.

In fact, while Pope Francis has shown his willingness to be a strong moral voice in influencing public policy — particularly with regard to global migration and climate change — Palacios is unsure whether his message extends past personal service and into structural change.

For Bunye however, the Pope’s example of personal service is enough — a message she will extend to the young adults she works with at her Parish.

“We all are here to take care of each other,” says Bunye, referring to taking time to visit with Men’s Central’s inmates. “I work in Hollywood, a world apart from people who have these different struggles.”

“For me, [it’s about] stepping out of my comfort zone and trying to accompany my neighbor. Because not only is Pope Francis asking us to do that, but Jesus asked us to do that."

Reach Staff Reporter Anne Branigin here.