A widow who lost her husband in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks is remembering Pope Francis for his humility and compassion for grieving survivors.
A widow who lost her husband in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks is remembering Pope Francis for his humility and compassion for grieving survivors.
Given the late Pope Francis’ care and concern for the poor, a representative group of them has been formally invited to welcome his casket to Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major for burial.
The decision by Pope Francis to break with tradition and be buried at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome rather than the Vatican is shining a spotlight on the 5th-century basilica dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
After the casket bearing Pope Francis’ body was placed in St. Peter’s Basilica, tens of thousands of mourners lined up to pay their respects.
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.
Thousands of people had made an early morning pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Square April 23 to witness the transfer and pray for the late pope; they erupted in applause when his body, in an open casket, reached the square and again when it reached the top of the basilica steps.
The funeral Mass of Pope Francis will be celebrated April 26 in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced.
Among the many trips Pope Francis took after he was elected to the papacy in 2013, his historic first visit to the Arabian Peninsula was a landmark journey. He was the first pope to visit the region and meet with leaders from different religious backgrounds for an interfaith summit.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis was an outspoken critic of war and cautioned against abusing the “just war” theory detailed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
It’s not known if Pope Francis ever suffered from jet lag, but the Holy Father logged a lot of air miles during his papacy, traveling to dozens of countries to spread the message of Jesus Christ’s love of mankind.