'We feel a real sense of loss over Pope's death'

The death of Pope Francis has led to a sense of personal loss which was felt by everyone, the Archbishop of Birmingham has said.

Archbishop Bernard Longley said he was shocked at the news but also "extremely grateful for everything that we've received from him".

The Archbishop had met the Pope on several occasions and said he was always "so natural and really friendly".

The Pope died on Easter Monday morning at the age of 88, a day after he appeared at St Peter's Square in Rome.

In 2019, at a mass in Rome, the Pope declared theologian and poet Cardinal John Henry Newman, who died in Birmingham in 1890, a saint. King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, was at the mass as were members of the Birmingham archdiocese.

On his first official visit to meet the Pope, Archbishop Longley said: "He spent two and a half hours with us, just listening to our concerns, replying to us and engaging in a real conversation.

"And that was so heartening to know the pastor who leads the Catholic Church has a deep understanding of all the different issues right across the church's life and membership.

"Having seen those scenes yesterday, and with a real hope in our hearts that he was on the road to recovery, to hear that our Lord the Risen Christ has come to take him this Eastertide, my prayer is that he now enjoys the company of the Saints in the Kingdom.

"But there's a real sense of personal loss that all of us are feeling."

After Easter Monday Mass at St Chad's Catholic Cathedral in Birmingham, worshippers spoke of their shock and grief.

"In terms of him as a person, he delivered a lasting impact on me because I actually looked up to him as a Pope through his preaching of Christian unity and canonisation of John Henry Newman," Clement Eke said.

Adjele Gunn said she could not believe the news, adding: "We were able to relate to him on a human level and get closer to God."

"I felt like crying because he was very significant for me, I felt like I lost somebody," Prof Yaa Vicky Ngamsha said.

"I believe in heaven he's going to do more for us. He's going to intercede for this world because so much is going wrong in this world."

Robert Priede, the treasurer of the Catholic Society of University of Birmingham, told the BBC: "I've never met him personally but just hearing him speak, he had a great and deep love of Jesus and everyone else around and his loss will be really tough on all of us.

"I think he was a good leader, a strong leader and he was an inspiration honestly – to just be simple and honest and pure of heart in loving each other."

The Bishop of Shrewsbury, Mark Davies, said in a statement: "Everyone who met Pope Francis during these past 12 years will remember his urgent request 'Please, pray for me'."

Sureena Brackenridge, the MP for Wolverhampton North East MP, also expressed her sorrow.

"He was seen as a great leader of the Church and meant a great deal to the global Catholic Communion," she said.

"My thoughts are with the Catholic Community in Wolverhampton and Willenhall."

The Bishop of Lichfield, Dr Michael Ipgrave, spoke of the Pope's "embrace of inclusion" and "devotion to his ministry".

He said: "Pope Francis's attention to the sick, the marginalised and the poor, placing them in the spotlight of Christ's love will be, for me, a defining memory of his Pontificate.

"His embrace of inclusion for those people has been inspirational and exemplary and deserves to be his legacy."

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