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Thousands of Catholics said their last goodbyes and paid their respects to Pope Francis on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, as the late pope lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAVatican City, Apr 23, 2025 / 14:22 pm (CNA).Pope Francis passed away at 7:35 a.m. local time on Easter Monday, April 21, at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, as confirmed by the Holy See Press Office. The 88-year-old pontiff led the Catholic Church for a little more than 12 years.Follow here for live updates of the latest news and information on the papal transition:
Long lines of mourners, many waiting more than four hours under the hot Roman sun, wound around St. Peter's Square on the first day of viewing for Pope Francis on April 23, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAVatican City, Apr 23, 2025 / 14:37 pm (CNA).Thousands of Catholics said their last goodbyes and paid their respects to Pope Francis on Wednesday as the late pope lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica.Long lines of mourners, many waiting more than four hours under the hot Roman sun, wound around St. Peter's Square on the first day of viewing on April 23. Vatican officials indicated that they might need to extend the basilica's hours past midnight to accommodate the large turnout. Thousands of Catholics wait in line to say their final goodbyes and pay their respects to Pope Francis on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, as the late pope lies in state in St. Peter's Basilica. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAMany in attendance had initially come to Rome to celebrate Easter ...
The Salus Populi Romani icon is displayed in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Apr 23, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).Pope Francis ordered that upon his death he would be buried in the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore (Basilica of St. Mary Major). This basilica was very dear to him. Francis, however, will not be the only pope to be buried outside of the Vatican City State.In the history of the Catholic Church, there have been 266 popes, and only about 30 of them have been buried outside of Rome. About 90 popes are buried in St. Peter's Basilica (21 in the Vatican grottoes), 22 in St. John the Lateran, seven in Santa Maria Maggiore, five in Santa Maria sopra Minerva (St. Mary of Minerva), five at the Basilica San Lorenzo fuori le mura (St. Lawrence Outside the Walls), three at St. Paul Outside the Walls, and one in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles. Various factors are at play when it comes to the decision of a burial place. T...
Pope Francis blesses the faithful at the Jubilee of the Sick in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, on April 6, 2025, as his personal nurse, Massimo Strappetti, assists him in the wheelchair. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAVatican City, Apr 23, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).Having cared for the aging Pope Francis as his personal nurse since 2022, Italian nurse Massimiliano Strappetti was among the few people who saw the Holy Father moments before his death on Easter Monday.Before being appointed Pope Francis' personal nurse in August 2022, Strappetti was the nursing coordinator for the Vatican's health department. He started working in the Vatican in 2002 after having worked eight years in the intensive care unit of Rome's Gemelli Hospital.Pope Francis is seen with his personal nurse, Massimo Strappetti, at the Jubilee of the Sick in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City, Sunday, April 6, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAStrappetti's appointment came very soon after he accompanied the Holy Fat...
Thousands of faithful, including many religious sisters, gather in St. Peter's Square on Tuesday evening, April 22, 2025, to pray the Rosary for the repose of Pope Francis's soul. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAVatican City, Apr 23, 2025 / 01:12 am (CNA).Pope Francis passed away at 7:35 a.m. local time on Easter Monday, April 21, at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, as confirmed by the Holy See Press Office. The 88-year-old pontiff led the Catholic Church for a little more than 12 years.Follow here for live updates of the latest news and information on the papal transition:
A panoramic view of St. Peter's Square filled with faithful attending Easter Sunday Mass at the Vatican on April 20, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAVatican City, Apr 22, 2025 / 17:08 pm (CNA).With the death of Pope Francis on Monday, the Catholic Church has entered a mourning period, which will include nine days of Masses offered for the repose of his soul known as the "Novendiales."? Rooted in ancient Christian and Roman customs, the Novendiales is a period of nine consecutive days dedicated to mourning the death of a pope. The practice dates back centuries, mirroring the ancient Roman tradition of a nine-day funeral rite.According to Church law, while the mourning period begins immediately upon the pope's death, marking the official start of the "sede vacante,"?or papal interregnum, the Novendiales will begin on the day of the pope's funeral, scheduled for April 26, and will be followed by consecutive days of Masses until May 4.Credit: Melissa Hartog/EWTNIn the da...
null / Credit: Wolfgang Schaller|ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 22, 2025 / 17:56 pm (CNA).During oral arguments Tuesday, most of the justices on the United States Supreme Court appeared sympathetic toward parents in their lawsuit against a Maryland school board that refused to let them opt their children out of coursework that promotes gender ideology.Catholic, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Muslim parents sued the Montgomery County Board of Education in May 2023 after the body ended its policy of notifying parents of coursework promoting homosexuality and transgenderism and allowing the parents to opt out.Under the current policy, the school board only permits opt-outs in narrow circumstances, which is mostly related to sexual education in health class. It does not permit opt-outs for coursework that endorses the views that there are more than two genders, that a boy can become a girl, or that homosexual marriages are moral.Some of the coursework initially introduced in t...
Cardinals, bishops, and priests carrying palm branches gather for the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, April 13, 2025. / Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN NewsCNA Staff, Apr 22, 2025 / 18:17 pm (CNA).At the first general congregation of cardinals in Rome on Tuesday, the estimated 60 cardinals in attendance chose the date of Pope Francis' funeral and suspended beatification celebrations.The closed-door meeting to discuss the upcoming conclave and other issues pertaining to the interregnum took place at 9 a.m. local time the day after the death of the pontiff as cardinals hurried from around the world to the Eternal City. As part of the interregnum period, the cardinals will meet frequently to make various decisions about the upcoming papal funeral and conclave. The cardinals set the papal funeral for Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. Rome time in St. Peter's Square. Pope Francis will be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, per his request, following the funeral...
null / Credi: cinemavision/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 22, 2025 / 11:12 am (CNA).The start of a papal interregnum brings many terms that may not be familiar to many people, including many Catholics. Here are some of the key words and phrases that will be used throughout the interregnum, especially the conclave to elect the new pope.Apostolic See or Holy See: The earthly heart of the Church is often referred to as the Apostolic See or Holy See. A see is a seat of authority, from the Latin "sede" for "chair." Jesus said the Pharisees sat on the chair of Moses. Judges sit on a bench, representing the authority of the state. Professors hold chairs of academic authority. And in the Church bishops possess chairs of spiritual authority, which is why in part their dioceses are called sees. The Roman Diocese has been called the Apostolic See, or Holy See, from ancient times, as it is the seat of authority of the chief apostle Peter, who has Christ's authority over holy th...
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 on April 22, 2025. The mortal remains of Pope Francis will be transferred to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday, April 23. / Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, Apr 22, 2025 / 04:53 am (CNA).Pope Francis' funeral Mass will take place Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican announced Tuesday. The Mass will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals. Following the funeral, the pope's coffin will be taken to St. Peter's Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for burial. In accordance with his personal wishes, Francis will not be buried in the Vatican grottoes but instead at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a church he visited more than 100 times during...
