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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...
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 MediaVatican 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 body of Pope Francis lies in state at the Vatican's Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel, surrounded by Swiss Guards, cardinals, and Vatican...
Pope Francis meets with the United States bishops at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 23, 2015. / Credit: L'Osservatore RomanoCNA 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 contracept...
Pope Francis' hands are seen as his body lies in state at the Vatican's Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel, Monday, April 21, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Apr 22, 2025 / 07:32 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:
