Marcella and Minerva also payed their final respects to the late pope. They both knew Francis personally. He was a lifeline, they say, because he made helping the vulnerable a priority during his pontificate. The two belong to a group of South American transgender people, which has been invited to the Vatican several times. With Francis gone, Marcella and her friends now wonder whether the Catholic Church, with its 1.4 billion believers, will continue to give the weakest a voice.