Pope Francis speaks the Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, April 20, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 22, 2025 / 10:12 am (CNA).

Pope Francis’ last public act was a blessing of the entire world on Easter Sunday, delivered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica — the same place where he was introduced as pope 12 years ago. 

In the wake of his death, the Vatican released further details on Tuesday about the pope’s final hours. 

“Grazie,” or “Thank you,” was among the pope’s final words, according to Vatican state media. He addressed them to Massimiliano Strappetti, the Vatican nurse who had served as his personal health assistant since 2022.

“Thank you for bringing me back to the Square,” Francis told Strappetti, who had encouraged him to greet the crowd from the popemobile on Easter Sunday following the traditional “urbi et orbi” blessing.

It marked the first time Francis had used the popemobile since a 39-day hospitalization earlier this year for pneumonia. The more than 15 minutes he spent waving to the 50,000 people gathered in the square ended up being his last ride. 

His final public words were simple: “Brothers and sisters, happy Easter.” 

The 88-year-old pope spent the remainder of Easter afternoon resting and had a peaceful dinner, according to the Vatican. 

At 5:30 a.m. local time on Monday, April 21, the pope’s health took a sudden turn, prompting immediate medical attention. Just over an hour later, still in bed in his second-floor apartment at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis made a gesture of farewell with his hand to Strappetti before going into a coma.

He died at 7:35 a.m. in his Vatican apartment. According to his death certificate, the cause of death was a stroke that led to a coma and irreversible cardiovascular collapse.

“He did not suffer. It all happened quickly,” Vatican News reported Tuesday, citing those who were present in his final moments.

In the hours following his death, many Catholics reflected on the words in his final Easter urbi et orbi blessing, which had been read aloud on his behalf from the loggia on Easter Sunday. 

“The resurrection of Jesus is indeed the basis of our hope. For in the light of this event, hope is no longer an illusion. Thanks to Christ — crucified and risen from the dead — hope does not disappoint! Spes non confundit! (cf. Rom 5:5),” the message says. 

“Christ is risen! These words capture the whole meaning of our existence, for we were not made for death but for life. Easter is the celebration of life! God created us for life and wants the human family to rise again! In his eyes, every life is precious! The life of a child in the mother’s womb, as well as the lives of the elderly and the sick, who in more and more countries are looked upon as people to be discarded,” he wrote.

“In the Lord’s paschal mystery, death and life contended in a stupendous struggle, but the Lord now lives forever (cf. Easter Sequence). He fills us with the certainty that we too are called to share in the life that knows no end, when the clash of arms and the rumble of death will be heard no more. Let us entrust ourselves to him, for he alone can make all things new (cf. Rev. 21:5). Happy Easter to everyone!”

Pope Francis is seen at his general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 22, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Throughout his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis gave many addresses, talks, and statements, and he penned numerous encyclicals and apostolic exhortations emphasizing themes of hope, mercy, compassion, and joy. 

His words often focused on the dignity of the poor, migrants, refugees, and the elderly as well as the importance of marriage, family life, and care for the environment. Advocating for “synodality,” Francis also called for a Church that listens and walks together. 

Below is a collection of quotes that reflect Pope Francis’ vision for a more compassionate and Christ-centered world.

Hope

In his first encyclical letter Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis said faith in Jesus Christ helps one to joyfully live life “on wings of hope.” 

Constantly encouraging people to turn to God, the Holy Father opened the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope writing in Spes Non Confundit: “Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love … The death and resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our faith and the basis of our hope.”

Mercy

Pope Francis often said that God’s style is one of “closeness, mercy, and tenderness.” 

Exactly two years before closing the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Holy Father penned his first papal apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium on the 2013 solemnity of Christ the King, writing: “Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy … Time and time again he bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love.” 

Joy

As the first pontiff in history to criticize “sourpusses” in a papal document, Pope Francis reiterated the evangelical importance of joy, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, in Evangelii Gaudium. 

In a message to participants of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints’ 2022 “Holiness Today” symposium, he said: “Without this joy, faith shrinks into an oppressive and dreary thing; the saints are not ‘sourpusses’ but men and women with joyful hearts, open to hope … Blessed Carlo Acutis is likewise a model of Christian joy for teenagers and young people. And the evangelical, and paradoxical, ‘perfect joy’ of St. Francis of Assisi continues to impress us.”

Love for the poor 

Choosing the name “Francis” in honor of St. Francis of Assisi was a powerful signal to the world that the pope wanted a “Church which is poor and for the poor!” 

With his burning desire for the love of Jesus Christ to reach the world’s peripheries, the Argentinian pope insisted that the poor are true evangelizers who must not be ignored. 

In his 2015 apostolic journey to the Philippines for the country’s Year of the Poor, the Holy Father asked young people: “You who live by always giving, and think that you need nothing, do you realize that you are poor yourself? Do you realize that you are very poor and that you need what they can give you? Do you let yourself be evangelized by the poor, by the sick, by those you assist?” 

Migrants and refugees

Migrants, displaced people, refugees, and victims of human trafficking always held a special place in the Jesuit pontiff’s heart. 

In 2016, Francis instituted the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and called on Catholics worldwide in 2020, through Fratelli Tutti, to open their arms to those affected by war, persecution, poverty, and natural disasters.

In his 2018 World Day of Migrants and Refugees message, he said: “The Lord entrusts to the Church’s motherly love every person forced to leave their homeland in search of a better future … In this regard, I wish to reaffirm that ‘our shared response may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote, and to integrate.’”

Environment and climate change

Pope Francis spoke in Catholic and secular venues about the detrimental impacts of a “throwaway culture” perpetuated by unscrupulous profiteering and rampant consumerism. 

Having written two key documents — including Laudate Deum — dedicated to the care for God’s creation, he wrote in Laudato Si’ in 2015: “We have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

Pets vs. people

The pope was a strong believer that pets should never replace children. 

During his 2023 address at the General State of the Birth Rate conference held in Italy, the Holy Father recalled one brief encounter: “I greeted the woman, and she opened a bag and said: ‘Will you bless him, my baby?’ A dog!”

“I did not have any patience there… ‘Madam, many children are hungry, and you are here with a dog!’ Brothers and sisters, these are scenes from the present, but if things continue like this, it will be the custom of the future: beware.”

Marriage and family life

Among several practical pearls of wisdom for families — including advice to mothers to “stop ironing the shirts” of their sons so that they marry soon — Pope Francis told newlyweds in 2016 that the words: “May I?”, “Thank you,” and “I’m sorry” are key to maintaining peace in the home.  

“There are always problems and arguments in married life,” the pope said. “It is normal for husband and wife to argue and to raise their voices; they squabble, and even plates go flying! So do not be afraid of this when it happens. May I give you a piece of advice: Never end the day without making peace.”

Youth and the elderly

Known as the “grandfather of the children” at the Holy Family Church in Gaza, Pope Francis traditionally used his weekly general audiences to convey his spiritual closeness with both the youth and the elderly. 

When the pope instituted the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, he said: “The future of the world depends on this covenant between young and old. Who, if not the young, can take the dreams of the elderly and make them come true? Yet for this to happen, it is necessary that we continue to dream.” 

“Our dreams of justice, of peace, of solidarity can make it possible for our young people to have new visions; in this way, together, we can build the future,” the pope said.

Synodality

The Argentinian pope often said he preferred a Church that goes out into the world even if “bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets.” 

The Holy Father insisted priests be shepherds “with the smell of sheep,” urged consecrated brothers and sisters to bring God’s “light to the women and men of our time,” and called on laypeople to “bring the novelty and joy of the Gospel wherever you are.” 

Urging all Catholic faithful to learn how to listen and walk together as one missionary Church, the Holy Father said at the close of the Vatican’s 2024 Synod on Synodality meeting: “Everyone, everyone, everyone! Nobody left outside: everyone … It is up to us to amplify the sound of this whispering, never getting in its way; to open the doors, never building walls.” 

“How much damage the women and men of the Church do when they build walls, how much damage! Everyone is welcome, everyone, everyone!” he said.

Popular piety: Our Lady, St. Joseph, and the Heart of Jesus

Pope Francis was known to love the simple faith and devotion of the people. His own childlike affection for Mary, the Mother of God, and St. Joseph was evident to millions. 

However, the pontiff’s belief in the power of popular piety reached its climax in his last and lengthy encyclical letter, Dilexit Nos, in which he wrote: “The flames of love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus also expand through the Church’s missionary outreach, which proclaims the message of God’s love revealed in Christ … As we contemplate the Sacred Heart, mission becomes a matter of love.”

Food

The Church’s first Latin American pope understood the importance of physical and spiritual nourishment.

Besides sharing lessons learnt from his favorite movie, “Babette’s Feast,” the pope would always tell those who prayed the Sunday Angelus with him to “have a good lunch!” 

In Dilexit Nos, the Holy Father stressed just how important culinary traditions are for family life when he wrote: “In this age of artificial intelligence, we cannot forget that poetry and love are necessary to save our humanity.” 

“No algorithm,” he said, “will ever be able to capture, for example, the nostalgia that all of us feel, whatever our age, and wherever we live, when we recall how we first used a fork to seal the edges of the pies that we helped our mothers or grandmothers to make at home.”

The earth, photographed by the crew of Apollo 8 in December 1968. / Credit: NASA (public domain)

CNA Staff, Apr 22, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis, who died on April 21 in Rome at the age of 88, had a special love for creation and urged the faithful to take care of the environment throughout his pontificate.

In May 2015, he published Laudato Si’, an encyclical focusing on care for the environment that includes topics such as global warming and environmental degradation. He then released a follow-up document to the encyclical on Oct. 4, 2023, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, to address current issues.

In remembrance of the Holy Father’s message urging the faithful to take action to protect the natural environment and to celebrate Earth Day, marked every year on April 22, here are 10 quotes from Pope Francis on creation and care for the environment: 

“Nature is a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise” (Laudato Si’, 12).

“Take good care of creation. St. Francis wanted that. People occasionally forgive, but nature never does. If we don’t take care of the environment, there’s no way of getting around it” (Meeting with the president of Ecuador, April 22, 2013).

“You are called to care for creation not only as responsible citizens but also as followers of Christ! Respect for the environment means more than simply using cleaner products or recycling what we use. These are important aspects, but not enough. We need to see, with the eyes of faith, the beauty of God’s saving plan, the link between the natural environment and the dignity of the human person” (Meeting with Young People, Santo Tomás University, Manila, Jan. 18, 2015).

“The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, God’s boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: Everything is a caress of God” (Laudato Si’, 84).

“The Eucharist is itself an act of cosmic love: Yes, cosmic! Because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world. The Eucharist joins heaven and earth; it embraces and penetrates all creation” (Laudato Si’, 236).

“As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family. When we destroy our forests, ravage our soil, and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calling” (Meeting with Young People, Santo Tomás University, Manila, Jan. 18, 2015).

“May the relationship between man and nature not be driven by greed, to manipulate and exploit, but may the divine harmony between beings and creation be conserved in the logic of respect and care” (General Audience, April 22, 2015).

“The human family has received from the Creator a common gift: nature … Nature, in a word, is at our disposition and we are called to exercise a responsible stewardship over it. Yet so often we are driven by greed and by the arrogance of dominion, possession, manipulation, and exploitation; we do not preserve nature; nor do we respect it or consider it a gracious gift which we must care for and set at the service of our brothers and sisters, including future generations” (Message for the World Day of Peace, 2014).

“Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude” (General Audience, March 21, 2014).

“We received this world as inheritance from past generations, but also as a loan from future generations, to whom we will have to return it!” (Remarks, Meeting with Political, Business, and Community Leaders, Quito, Ecuador, July 7, 2015).

Pope Francis meets with the United States bishops at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 23, 2015. / Credit: L’Osservatore Romano

CNA Staff, Apr 22, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88, visited the United States just once, nearly 10 years ago, in September 2015. 

Despite the brevity of the visit, he accomplished a lot: Attracting hundreds of thousands of participants, he canonized a new saint (St. Junípero Serra), became the first pope to ever address a joint session of Congress, and galvanized the U.S. Catholic community with his presence and his speeches on the East Coast.

Washington, D.C.

Pope Francis began his tour of North America with several days in Cuba. Landing in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 22, 2015, Pope Francis met with President Barack Obama first thing the next morning. The meeting came amid a time of concerns for many American Catholics regarding politics, including the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate and the recent legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide, via the June 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.

During the presidential meeting, Francis praised Obama’s commitment to inclusivity and noted that American Catholics have contributed greatly to building a tolerant and inclusive society while also stressing that religious liberty “remains one of America’s most precious possessions.” He also encouraged commitment to addressing the “urgent” issue of climate change, building on his expansive 2015 encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’. 

While in D.C., that same day, the pope addressed bishops and priests at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle and later celebrated Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. At the latter Mass, he celebrated the first canonization on American soil by declaring Junípero Serra, who founded missions along present-day California, a saint.

“He was the embodiment of ‘a Church which goes forth,’ a Church which sets out to bring everywhere the reconciling tenderness of God,” the pope said.

On the same day, Francis made an unscheduled stop to visit with the Little Sisters of the Poor in Washington, D.C., to support the sisters as they awaited word on whether or not the Supreme Court will hear their case against the federal contraception mandate. (The sisters are still fighting aspects of the mandate, even after more than 14 years in court.)

Francis addressed a joint session of Congress the next day, Sept. 24, making him the first pope to ever to do so. During his lengthy speech, he condemned the arms trade and the death penalty — statements that reportedly made some lawmakers in the room squirm. 

Francis went on to assert that the family was being threatened like never before and praised American figures, including Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., for their tireless efforts to defend freedom and moral values. He also touched on respect for human life and the environment in the well-received speech.

The pope also visited St. Patrick Parish and met with people experiencing homelessness at Catholic Charities, addressing people who minister to the poor. He offered St. Joseph as their patron and model, because, he said, St. Joseph grappled with injustice and suffering in his care for Mary and Jesus.

“The Son of God came into this world as a homeless person,” the pope said. “The Son of God knew what it was to start life without a roof over his head.”

“We can find no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing. There are many unjust situations, but we know that God is suffering with us, experiencing them at our side. He does not abandon us.”

Controversially, while in D.C. Pope Francis met with Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who had become a cultural lightning rod for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses. The pope reportedly told her to “stay strong,” offering rosaries to Davis and her husband. The Vatican later clarified that Francis met with Davis and her husband as part of a large group invited by the nunciature, with the Vatican spokesperson adding that the pope “did not enter into the details” of her situation.

New York City

After flying to New York City the evening of Sept. 24 and praying vespers at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan, Francis addressed the United Nations General Assembly the next day, Sept. 25, the fifth time a pope had addressed the body.

The pontiff issued a call to the countries of the world to reject what he called “ideological colonization” — the “imposition of anomalous models and lifestyles which are alien to people’s identity and, in the end, irresponsible.”

Like his predecessor, Benedict XVI, Pope Francis made a solemn visit with other religious leaders to Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 attacks, later on Sept. 25. He met with families of first responders, saying at the site museum that acts of destruction always have “a face, a concrete story, names.” He offered a “prayer of remembrance” for all those killed that day, along with a prayer for the survivors and those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones.

Later that day, after visiting Our Lady, Queen of the Angels School in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Francis celebrated Mass at Madison Square Garden. He encouraged people to remember those in the city who are often forgotten, including “foreigners, the children who go without schooling, those deprived of medical insurance, the homeless, the forgotten elderly.”

“Knowing that Jesus still walks our streets, that he is part of the lives of his people, that he is involved with us in one vast history of salvation, fills us with hope. A hope which liberates us from the forces pushing us to isolation and lack of concern for the lives of others, for the life of our city,” the pope said.

“A hope which frees us from empty ‘connections,’ from abstract analyses, or sensationalist routines. A hope which is unafraid of involvement, which acts as a leaven wherever we happen to live and work. A hope which makes us see, even in the midst of smog, the presence of God as he continues to walk the streets of our city.”

Philadelphia

Pope Francis’ visit included an appearance at the 2015 World Meeting of Families (WMF) in Philadelphia, an event that focuses on celebrating the gift of the family. 

After flying to the “City of Brotherly Love” the morning of Sept. 26, Pope Francis took part in a Mass for clergy and religious at Philadelphia’s Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. In his homily address, the pope challenged the clergy and religious to inspire new vocations. 

He called for women to take on a greater role in the Church, highlighting the example of St. Katharine Drexel — a Philadelphia native — and he reminded the priests and religious present of their role in ministering to families, couples preparing for marriage, and young people.

He later addressed a crowd of some 50,000 people at Independence Mall, the site of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, for a religious freedom rally with Hispanic and other immigrants. 

Speaking to thousands of families gathered on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia that night, a visibly moved Pope Francis ditched his prepared remarks and instead gave an impromptu reflection on the beauty and dire importance of family life. He voiced his thanks at “the presence of all of you — who are a real witness that it’s worth being a family!” A society “is strong, solid, and edified on beauty, goodness, and truth,” he added.

On Sept. 27, the next day, Francis had an unscripted meeting with five abuse survivors — three women and two men — all of whom had been abused in childhood either by members of the clergy, family members, or educators. He promised accountability for perpetrators and expressed sorrow for the victims’ suffering. 

In the face of such heinous acts as sexual abuse, “God cries,” he said, adding that “the criminal sins of the abuse of minors can’t be kept in silence any longer … I promise, with the vigilance of the Church, to protect minors and I promise [that] all of those responsible will be held accountable.”

He told a gathering of international bishops afterward that the survivors’ stories of suffering “have aggravated my heart” and said that crimes of abuse must never be kept in silence.

Later that morning, Francis visited a Philadelphia correctional facility, saying at the meeting with a group of 100 inmates and their families that every person is marked and bruised by life, but Jesus washes away our sins and invites us to live a full life. 

Finally, the close of Sept. 27 — after Francis celebrated Mass for the WMF — marked the end of the pope’s trip to the United States. He thanked Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia as well as the civil authorities, donors, volunteers, and organizers that made the gathering possible. It was thought to have been the largest gathering ever held in Philadelphia. 

Reflecting on the trip, the Holy Father said it was “particularly moving for me to canonize St. Junípero Serra, who reminds us all of our call to be missionary disciples.”

He added that he was touched “to stand with my brothers and sisters of other religions at Ground Zero, that place which speaks so powerfully of the mystery of evil. Yet we know with certainty that evil never has the last word, and that, in God’s merciful plan, love and peace triumph over all.”

Furthermore, he promised his prayers for the U.S. people, saying: “This land has been blessed with tremendous gifts and opportunities. I pray that you may all be good and generous stewards of the human and material resources entrusted to you.”

“I thank the Lord that I was able to witness the faith of God’s people in this country, as manifested in our moments of prayer together and evidenced in so many works of charity.”

Concluding, he asked those present: “Do not let your enthusiasm for Jesus, his Church, our families, and the broader family of society run dry.”

“May our days together bear fruit that will last, generosity and care for others that will endure!” he said. “Just as we have received so much from God — gifts freely given us, and not of our own making — so let us freely give to others in return.”

The body of Pope Francis lies in state at the Vatican’s Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel, surrounded by Swiss Guards, cardinals, and Vatican officials paying their respects before his transfer to St. Peter’s Basilica for public veneration, Monday, April 21, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Apr 22, 2025 / 06:55 am (CNA).

The Vatican on Tuesday released the first photos of Pope Francis after his death, showing him dressed in red vestments and lying in a simple wooden coffin inside the chapel of the Santa Marta guesthouse.

The photos, taken on the evening of April 21 during the first step of the papal funeral rites, show the pontiff, who died earlier in the day at the age of 88, holding a rosary and wearing the papal miter and pallium. The lit Easter candle is visible to Francis’ right, and he is flanked by Swiss Guards.

The photos also show scenes from the “rite of the ascertainment of death and deposition in the coffin,” the first stage in the papal funeral rites, which was presided over by the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, on April 21.

The photos also show the sealing of the papal apartments in the Casa Santa Marta, where Pope Francis lived during his pontificate. 

Farrell — along with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and his deputy, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra — also closed and sealed the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, as called for by protocol.

On April 22, the Vatican’s liturgical office also published information about what will happen next in the funeral rites for Pope Francis.

Pope Francis’ coffin will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica in a solemn procession on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, and placed near the basilica’s main altar for the public to view the body, pray, and say goodbye.

Pope Francis’ funeral Mass, called the “Missa poenitentialis,” will be held in St. Peter’s Square at 10 a.m. local time on Saturday, April 26.

The funeral will mark the first day of the “Novendiales,” nine consecutive days of mourning for the pope.

Also on Tuesday morning, the College of Cardinals met for the first of its “general congregations,” pre-conclave meetings of cardinals to discuss important Church business during the “sede vacante” (vacant see of Peter), issues facing the universal Church, and what qualities could be desirable in the next pope.

According to the Holy See Press Office, around 60 cardinals were present for the first general congregation, which included prayer for Pope Francis and the reading of his final testament.

The college also chose three cardinals to assist Farrell, the camerlengo, over the next three days: Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Fabio Baggio, and Stanisław Ryłko. The second meeting will be held on the afternoon of April 23.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis was a pastor first, "so consistently, so spontaneously and with such deep conviction," that it will remain a gift to the Catholic Church, said Cardinal Michael Czerny.

The cardinal, who served as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, spoke with Catholic News Service April 22, the day after Pope Francis died at the age of 88.

"Pope Francis will be remembered as a pastoral pope," he said. "The word 'pastoral' is easy to use, and you can apply it to many things, but to see it lived consistently by the person with the highest responsibility in the church is a really important contribution."

Cardinal Czerny, 78, said it is not that previous popes were not pastoral, but Pope Francis excelled at "showing how the church was first and foremost interested in the welfare, the salvation, the happiness, the development of people and ready to reach out as far as possible, to accompany people in their path of salvation and of development." 

Making the pastoral a priority -- learning "to go out and bring the Gospel to reality, to all creation" -- is something the church needs "to relearn" with every generation, the cardinal said. "And Pope Francis showed us how."

Cardinal Czerny, a Jesuit like Pope Francis, said the late pope clearly embodied the Jesuit ideal of "finding God in all things."

"He was able to find God and to hope to meet God in every circumstance and in every person," the cardinal said. "He never gave up on 'these people' or on 'that situation,' and that's also a gift of our spirituality, which, in a sense, overcomes a false distinction between what's religious and what isn't."

One of the aims of the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, is to help believers focus on finding "the freedom to serve God and to serve people free from the forces, the powers, the confusions that can lead us in the wrong way," the cardinal said.

"I will personally remember him for his freedom," he said. "I found him so free in his attitudes, in his reactions and his responses."

Unlike his two predecessors, St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis did not participate in the Second Vatican Council. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969, four years after the council ended.

But, Cardinal Czerny said, "his legacy to the church at large will be his renewal of the implementation of Vatican II, and precisely the implementation of Vatican II as a pastoral council. This is something that we urgently needed, and which he began wholeheartedly and developed in many interesting directions, but always very, very faithful to the council, always rooted in the council."

Pope Francis advocated tirelessly for the people and issues Cardinal Czerny's dicastery focuses on most: migrants, refugees, the poor, peace and the environment. 

Asked if people accepted the pope's teaching on the Christian requirement to "listen to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth," the cardinal said, "In fact, the people have accepted it. The governments haven't."

"I think he has reached people -- ordinary people, parishes, other communities, Christian movements, and also groupings and movements of people outside the church," the cardinal said. "He has reached them widely and deeply."

"And it's a real pity that governments are opting for short term gain, populism, with their eye only on the next election and on the bottom line," the Cardinal Czerny said. "It's up to people to correct their governments, and I really hope this will happen."

The cardinal said the migrants, refugees and poor people he works with have reacted to Pope Francis' death much like he has.

"First of all, we're shocked because we didn't expect it; seeing the Holy Father on Sunday doesn't prepare you for hearing that he died on Monday morning," he said.

But "at the same time, the real feeling is not the shock or even the sorrow, but gratitude," he said. "We can't help thinking of him without gratitude, without thanking God for this pastor, this pastor with the smell of the sheep, who has guided and encouraged the church so much over the past 12 years and who leaves us with hope and with a lot to do."
 

Cardinal: Pope's legacy is pastoral

After the first general congregation of the college of cardinals following the death of Pope Francis, Cardinal Michael Czerny, one of the late pope's closest collaborators, spoke to CNS about his legacy.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis' final moments were peaceful, and he managed to give one last farewell to his nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, before slipping into a coma early April 21, Vatican News reported.

Among his last words were his thanks to Strappetti late April 20 when he said, "Thank you for bringing me back to the square," referring to the pope's surprise appearance after giving his Easter blessing from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

The 88-year-old pope, who was still recovering from pneumonia, did not attend the Easter Mass April 20, but he did appear shortly after noon to give the solemn blessing. With his voice still weak, he wished everyone a Happy Easter and he barely raised his arms as he made the sign of the cross. 

"The pope wanted to make one last significant surprise by going to St. Peter's Square for a ride in the popemobile," Vatican News said in a report April 22. However, the pope was a little unsure and asked Strappetti, "Do you think I can do it?"

The nurse, who had been by his side for the 38 days he was hospitalized in Rome's Gemelli hospital and then by his bedside 24/7 at the pope's residence in the Domus Sanctae Marthae since his return March 23, reassured him that he could, Vatican News reported. 

For 15 minutes, Pope Francis rode around St. Peter's Square and a portion of the wide boulevard leading to the square, filled with about 50,000 people. He blessed a few babies and tried to wave; the crowds were thrilled, waving and running where possible to get a closer view. 

Even though the pope made a number of surprise appearances in his wheelchair in St. Peter's Basilica after he was discharged from the hospital and he appeared briefly in the square in his wheelchair at the end of the closing Mass of the Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers April 6 and Palm Sunday April 13, Easter marked his first open popemobile ride since his one-day trip to Corsica in December.

Vatican News reported the pope returned to his residence April 20 "tired, but happy" and he thanked Strappetti for "bringing me back to the square." The pope hired him to be his personal nurse in 2022.

The pope then rested that afternoon and had a relaxing dinner, Vatican News said.

The first signs that something was wrong happened the next day around 5:30 a.m. followed by "prompt intervention by those watching over him," it said. 

More than an hour later, the pope, who was lying on his bed in his apartment, gestured to wave farewell to Strappetti and slipped into a coma, it said.

"He did not suffer, everything happened quickly," according to those who were with the pope those final moments, Vatican News reported.

The pope died at 7:35 a.m. from a stroke, the coma and heart failure, the Vatican said.

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Reporting by CNS Rome is made possible by the Catholic Communication Campaign. Give to the CCC special collection in your diocese May 10-11 or any time at: https://bit.ly/CCC-give

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The funeral Mass of Pope Francis will be celebrated April 26 in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican announced.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the liturgy, which begins a nine-day period of official mourning and daily memorial Masses.

The deceased pope's body, which was taken to the chapel of his residence late April 21, the day of his death, will be carried into St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing and prayer early April 23.

The public viewing was scheduled to end late April 25 with another prayer service to close the coffin.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said the Mass originally scheduled for the Jubilee for Adolescents April 27 would be one of the eight memorial Masses that follow the funeral of the pope. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was secretary of state under Pope Francis, will preside.

The rites and rituals for dressing the body, moving it to St. Peter's Basilica and celebrating the funeral are published in the "Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis" ("Funeral Rites of the Roman Pontiff"). 

The rites originally were approved by St. John Paul II in 1998 but were released only when he died in 2005. Modified versions of the rites were used after Pope Benedict XVI died Dec. 31, 2022, and Pope Francis revised and simplified them in 2024.

U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, the chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, presided over a prayer service for the formal verification of the pope's death April 21 in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where Pope Francis celebrated an early morning Mass most days before his final illness.

Cardinal Farrell will lead the prayerful procession to take the pope's body, already in its coffin, from the chapel, into St. Peter's Square and then into the basilica.

According to the book of rites, he will say, "Dearest brothers and sisters, with great emotion we accompany the mortal remains of our Pope Francis into the Vatican basilica where he often exercised his ministry as the bishop of the church that is in Rome and as pastor of the universal church."
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis died April 21 after suffering a stroke and heart failure, said the director of Vatican City State's department of health services. The pope had also gone into a coma.

"I certify that His Holiness Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, resident of Vatican City, Vatican citizen, passed away at 7:35 a.m. on 4/21/2025 in his apartment at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Vatican City, from: cerebral stroke, coma, irreversible cardiovascular collapse," said the statement, signed by the director, Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, and published by the Vatican press office. 

The doctor said the pope also had a history of: "a previous episode of acute respiratory failure due to polymicrobial bilateral pneumonia; multiple bronchiectases; arterial hypertension; and type II diabetes."

A heart monitor or ECG was used to ascertain his death, that is, that there was no longer any heart activity, he wrote on the signed declaration.

The doctor also read the statement aloud during a special prayer service that began at 8 p.m. local time April 21 in the late pope's residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae. 

U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, presided over the rite, which included the formal verification of the pope's death, the placement of his body in a coffin, and its transfer to the chapel on the first floor of his residence. The pope died in his third-floor apartment at 7:35 a.m. April 21.

Others present at the closed-door ceremony included Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals; the late pope's aides, assistants and members of the papal household; Dr. Arcangeli; and Dr. Luigi Carbone, deputy director of the Vatican's health department and the pope's personal physician. 

This was the first of three rites that are divided into three "stations" based on the place they occur: "at home, in the Vatican basilica and at the burial place," according to the "Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis" ("Funeral Rites of the Roman Pontiff"). There will be separate services for transferring the body to St. Peter's Basilica, the funeral, the burial and the memorial Masses that follow the funeral for the next eight days.

The Vatican press office confirmed that, according to instructions guiding what happens after the death of a pope, the funeral and burial should take place "between the fourth and sixth day after death," which would be between April 25 and 27.

The exact date will be determined at a meeting of all the cardinals able to reach the Vatican immediately after the papal death. The first meeting was being held at 9 a.m. April 22 in the Vatican Synod Hall.

The press office said the coffin would probably be brought to St. Peter's Basilica April 23 for public viewing and prayer before the funeral. Instead of lying on a catafalque, that is, a kind of decorated platform, the body will be placed inside a zinc-lined coffin, which will remain open until the night before the funeral, which will be celebrated by Cardinal Re.

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Correction: An earlier version of this story listed one of the causes of death as "heart attack" when it should have said "heart failure." We apologize for the error.

WASHINGTON – Upon the news from the Holy See announcing the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement in remembrance:

Pope Francis will long be remembered for his outreach to those on the margins of the Church and of society. He renewed for us the mission to bring the Gospel out to the ends of the earth and offer divine mercy to all. He has also taken advantage of the present Jubilee to call us to a profound hope: one that is not an empty or naïve hope, but one grounded in the promise of Almighty God to be with us always. 

Even with his roots in the Piedmont region of Italy, the first Pope from our American Continent was marked by his experience as a Jesuit and a shepherd in Buenos Aires. He brought that experience and vision with him to his ministry for the universal Church.

Recently, he expressed anew prayerful hope in his letter of support to the Bishops of this country in our attempts to respond to the face of Christ in the migrant, poor, and unborn. In fact, he has always used the strongest and clearest expressions in the defense of the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death.

I last saw him at the Jubilee Mass for the Armed Forces, Police, and Security Personnel. Despite the challenges of his health, he was with us and even used a slight gesture to salute the group of bishops who concelebrated the Mass before he boarded the vehicle to return to Santa Marta.

The passage from this life of the Bishop of Rome calls us to pray for his eternal rest and to continue on our path to a deeper union with the Lord Jesus. We remember his leadership in inspiring nations, organizations, and individuals to a renewed commitment to care for each other and our common home. 

The Bishops of the United States unite in prayer with Catholics here and around the world and all people of good will in gratitude for the life of our revered shepherd. We mourn the passing of our Holy Father and beg Saint Joseph to accompany him. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord.

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