“He was a good man, he worked hard and loved the world,” says US President Trump
Members of the clergy celebrate Mass in memory of Pope Francis, following the pontiff’s death, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, in La Paz, Bolivia, April 21, 2025. — Reuters
In VATICAN CITY, Cardinals will meet on Tuesday to pick out a funeral date for Pope Francis. This marks the start of a three-week system that will be able to stop with the election of a brand new Catholic leader. After suffering a stroke, Francis, the chief of the arena’s 1.4 billion Catholics, passed away on Monday at the age of 88 at his domestic inside the Vatican. He had been hospitalized for five weeks after contracting double pneumonia. Worldwide tributes were paid to Francis, a liberal reformer who took over in 2013 after German theologian Benedict XVI resigned.
India started three days of country mourning on Tuesday, a rare honor for an overseas nonsecular chief inside the international’s maximum populous country, as the Argentine pontiff’s domestic U.S.A. Organized for every week of mourning. His funeral, which is scheduled to take place at St. Peter’s Basilica, is predicted to host royalty and heads of state. Donald Trump became the first to announce that he could attend. Despite the pontiff’s criticisms of his program to deport migrants, the American president said, “He was an amazing man, he worked difficult, and he loved the world.” According to the Apostolic Constitution, the funeral has to take place between the fourth and sixth days following the pope’s demise, which is this Friday through Sunday. The cardinals, who’ve been summoned for the first of a series of “preferred congregations” beginning at nine:00 am (0700 GMT), will, however, determine the specifics. The congregations are open to cardinals of all ages; however, most effectively, the ones under the age of eighty can vote for a brand new pope in the conclave. The conclave should begin no later than 15 days and no later than 20 days after the pope’s death.
Simple tomb
According to the Vatican, the pope’s frame was moved into the Santa Marta chapel on Monday night, and his condo became officially sealed. Beginning on Wednesday, it is expected that his remains may be moved from the house wherein he lived and died in Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica for burial. According to his will, which was made public on Monday, Francis selected a plain tomb with his name in Latin, Franciscus, and eschewed the opulence of his predecessors. He can be buried in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, making him the first pope to be buried outdoor of the Vatican in more than a hundred years.
According to the Vatican’s dying certificates, Francis suffered a stroke that left him in a coma and with “irreversible” coronary heart failure. On March 23, he was ordered to relaxation for at least two months after being discharged from the Gemelli health center in Rome. However, Francis made numerous public appearances in recent days because he became satisfied to have human beings in his flock. On Easter Sunday, he rode in his popemobile in St. Peter’s Square to greet the crowds, regardless of looking exhausted. Lionel Messi, a great soccer player from Argentina who’s additionally a massive fan of the beautiful game, praised his fellow countryman for “making the arena a higher area.”
Eyes of God
Thousands of devoted humans came to St. Peter’s Square at sundown on Monday to wish for Francis, a few wearing candles or plant life. Francis, who was born Jorge Bergoglio, was the first Jesuit to lead the worldwide Catholic Church and the first pope from the Americas. He became a zealous reformer who desired to make the Church open to everyone. He became very famous, however, his thoughts also sparked plenty of inner opposition. In 12 years as pope, Francis tirelessly encouraged the defence of migrants, the environment, and social justice without questioning the Church’s positions on abortion or priestly celibacy.
The former archbishop of Buenos Aires, a staunch opponent of the fingers-alternate, time and again called for peace in conflicts ranging from Sudan to Gaza and Ukraine. However, his pleas have been in large part neglected. Francis turned into an outspoken and obstinate. He also wanted to smooth up the Vatican’s shady budget, amplify the function of girls and lay people, and reform the Holy See’s governance. He lifted the pontifical secrecy in response to revelations of sizable toddler intercourse abuse inside the Church and pressured spiritual and lay people to report instances to their superiors. Victims’ corporations, alternatively, claimed that he did not move far sufficient.