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Pope Francis’ Historic COVID-19 Blessing

By Currents News

One of the pontiff’s most iconic moments happened when the world was forced indoors.

In March of 2020 everything shut down – thousands were dying by the day as medical personnel tried to figure out the deadly virus that was quickly spreading.

But amid the chaos was Pope Francis, bringing the light of Christ to the people of God.

It was a stunning sight:  Pope Francis– walking through an empty St. Peter’s Square.

It was March 27th 2020, just two weeks after the coronavirus was declared a global pandemic, when the Holy Father made history at the Vatican.

He gave an Urbi et Orbi blessing while standing alone in the iconic square as the faithful took part virtually.
This blessing is usually reserved for special occasions like Easter, Christmas and the election of a new pope.

But an exception was made on this day as Pope Francis led an extraordinary moment of prayer, praying for an end to the Coronavirus.

“We carried on regardless, thinking we would stay healthy in a world that was sick. Now that we are in a stormy sea, we implore you, ‘Wake up, Lord!,'” Pope Francis said.

It was a stunning gesture from the pope during a time of uncertainty and fear across the globe. It was a way for the Holy Father to connect with the faithful spiritually despite the quarantine, church closures, and lack of Sacraments.

Pope Francis closely watched as the pandemic developed.

Italy was one of the countries hardest hit, with nearly 1,000 deaths every day.

Just days before this special blessing an Italian priest living in the same guesthouse that Pope Francis called home tested positive for the virus.

During daily Masses the pope prayed for people living in fear.

“Let us pray today for the many people who are not succeeding in coping, and remain in fear because of this pandemic… May the Lord help them get up, react for the good of society, of the entire community,” Pope Francis said.

And each day he would pray for a different group, from the sick to those caring for them, journalists covering the pandemic, and people living on the streets.

“We pray today for those who are homeless, at this moment in which everyone is supposed to be at home,” Pope Francis said.

But the pope didn’t just offer prayers during the pandemic. He jumped into action, sending desperately needed ventilators to hospitals in Italy and setting up an emergency fund to help those suffering from the pandemic.

The Holy Father was the first to contribute by making a$750,000 donation.

Pope Francis also encouraged the faithful to get the vaccine, calling it an ethical duty.

He led by example, as both he and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were vaccinated.

The pope even took part in a video campaign, urging people to protect themselves as an act of love for others.

“Getting vaccinated is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable,” he said. “I pray to God that each one of us can make his or her own small gesture of love.”

Brooklyn Students From St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy Experience Pope’s Last Appearance

By Katie Vasquez

It quickly became the trip of a lifetime for the students at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy Catholic Academy in Greenpoint, Brooklyn: the young Catholics were recently celebrating the Jubilee year in Rome.

“We went to all the Holy Doors. We saw a piece of the wood from Jesus’s manger, which was really, really cool,” Susan Felkner, a 7th grader at the school, told Currents News.

Attending Easter Sunday Mass at the Vatican, they then received a blessing from Pope Francis. 

It was “a moment of peace because someone so important, like the pope, who was so close to God, was there with us,” Angelina Hartley, also a 7th grader, said.

The students considered themselves lucky for getting the chance to see the Holy Father up close.

“They “got the view of a lifetime because he was there, and obviously, you wait. You’re trying to wave and be acknowledged,” said Frank P. Carbone, the president of the Brooklyn school. 

Little did they know that one day later, that moment in St Peter’s Square would hold so much more meaning.

“Well, there was bells, church bells going off. There were cannons going off. So, I mean, you knew this was enormous. You could hear it all throughout Rome,” said Donna DeLuca, the school’s director of admissions. 

The young Catholics learned the pope had died that Easter Monday morning. In their grief, they  decided to stop and pray.

“We all huddled together and listened to the bells and were praying Hail Marys for him and, just paying our respects,” said Sophia Perella, an 8th grader. 

Their trip to Rome is now a tribute to the Holy Father. They waited four hours at St Peter’s Basilica just to see Pope Francis, and say goodbye. 

“You saw him laying there in state and knowing that you saw him two days before, it was very powerful, very powerful,” said Carbone.

While they are saddened at the loss of the Holy Father, they are happy to have one lasting memory with the late pontiff. 

 “Our whole group was really lucky because we got to see him on one of his last days of life. And I knew that he went straight to heaven because he was such a great pope and everything,” said Sophia Perella. 

“Well, it was like it was a once in a lifetime thing, and I feel it’s going to make me a better Catholic,” said Emma Perella, a 6th grader at St. Stanislaus Kostka in Greenpoint.

It was an Easter Sunday these kids know they’ll never forget.

Currents News Special: The Funeral Mass of Pope Francis

Pope Francis’ final wish was to be remembered as a devout follower of Christ among the people he served until his final breath. He was with a Mass under blue skies, befitting the Bishop of Rome.

Ahead of the pope’s funeral, the Diocese of Brooklyn gathered together to mourn the Holy Father during a Mass.

Students from a Brooklyn Catholic Academy just got back from The Eternal City where they witnessed Pope Francis’ final Easter blessing in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis Remembered for His Support, Kindness Towards Youth in the Church

By Jenna MacDermant

Pope Francis welcomed the world with open arms — especially children. 

When a boy walked on stage during Mass, the Holy Father visibly chuckled. As the boy’s mother tried to wrangle her son, the pope told the audience the boy is mute but knows how to express himself. He joked, “He is Argentinian and unruly,” before telling the boy to stay.

The pontiff welcomed a young girl when she interrupted Mass, too.  

“Let her stay, God speaks for children,” Pope Francis said. 

Instead of excluding children, the Holy Father embraced them and encouraged them.

When another little boy wandered up to the pope, he stood by, allowing him to climb into his chair and hug his legs. Pope Francis tenderly patted the child on the head. The boy examined the pope up close, touching and kissing his cross, and the pontiff couldn’t have been more pleased. 

Another boy wouldn’t leave Pope Francis’ side during Mass. The Holy Father asked his head of protocol to give the boy his chair. 

Over the years, there were countless hugs and kisses, blessings of babies, and selfies taken around the world. 

The pope often gravitated to children with disabilities.

During a visit to Ecuador, Pope Francis posed for a selfie with this child in a wheelchair, before offering his blessing. When he met a little girl from Ohio at the Vatican, she was going blind due to a genetic disorder. He kissed her, touched her face and blessed her eyes. The tender moment brought a smile to her face. 

The Holy Father was so moved by a cancer survivor with Down syndrome on a family trip to Rome, that he stopped and kissed the boy’s head, then suddenly offered him a ride in his Popemobile. 

Even when Pope Francis was hospitalized and recovering from abdominal surgery in 2023, he made sure to visit children in the cancer ward of his Rome hospital. 

Another moment illustrated Pope Francis’ fondness for children — when he gathered with more than 7,000 children from 84 countries. 

He told his young audience he’s happy when he meets children because they teach him something new every time, and remind him of how beautiful life is in its simplicity.

Diocese of Brooklyn Holds Mass of Repose for Pope Francis

By Katie Vasquez

The pews were filled with mourning parishioners at St Bartholomew Church in Elmhurst, Queens on the evening of April 25.

Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan led the Mass of Repose for Pope Francis in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and said the diverse congregation represented a grieving, universal church. 

 “One of the things that’s so beautiful about this part of the diocese here in Queens is, in a sense, the whole world is here. The whole world is here,” said Bishop Brennan.

Bishop Brennan highlighted how the holy father was a light for Catholics across the globe to follow, even to his last breath.

RELATED: Bishop Brennan, U.S. Leaders Remember Pope Francis: ‘May God Be Good to Him’

“Thinking about him on Easter Sunday morning. He was a pilgrim of hope, right to the bitter end. He was a pilgrim right to that encounter with the risen lord Jesus,” said Bishop Brennan. 

But the pope had already inspired many in St. Bartholomew’s pews, like Kresentia Silaban, who is part of the diocese of Brooklyn’s Indonesian apostolate.

“He inspired me to love the poor, and to accept everybody the same. and then to taking care for creation,” said Silaban, a parishioner at St. Helen Church in the Diocese. 

Seventeen-year-old Priscilla Lozano said Pope Francis is all she’s ever known, and he’s been a role model for the young Catholic.

“I mean, I was really young when he came into his papacy, but, to me, he’s kind of like who everybody would strive to be,” said Lozano, a parishioner at St Bartholomew Church. 

The Heanues’ prayed for the late pontiff while remembering their special encounter with him in Rome with their son, Father Christopher Heanue, the rector of the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

“As he was going by, Father Christopher said his parents were here, and he went and stopped and spoke for a minute. You know, gave us a blessing, for our 50th anniversary,” said Kathleen and Martin Heanue, parishioners of St. Mary Winfield Church.

No matter how the Holy Father touched their lives, the Brooklyn shepherd said his flock was honoring the pope in exactly the way he would’ve wanted. 

“He always said, you know, please pray for me. Don’t forget to pray for me. And that’s what we did. We came together more than any other night, we came together to pray for him,” said Bishop Brennan. 

And the faithful plan to continue those prayers as many churches around the diocese will hold their own mass of repose, including one for the youth on April 30.

Argentine Priest Recalls Family Connections to Pope Francis

By Katie Vasquez

Father Francisco Walker celebrates morning Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Woodhaven.

Praying for Pope Francis after hearing about his passing. It was a shock to the Queens priest who also hails from Argentina.

“I think he spoke with conviction, and he put his life and his ministry in very, very dangerous places just to witness the love of Christ,” said Father Francisco Walker, the pastor of St Thomas the Apostle Church. 

When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, Father Walker felt a sense of pride that one of his countrymen had been made a pontiff. 

“A friend of mine texted me, ‘You have an Argentine pope,’ so I ran to the television,” said Father Walker, “and that’s when I have flashbacks of, “Oh, he came to my home.'”

He never met Pope Francis in person,  but knows many friends and family who knew Father Jorge Bergoglio.

“I have my sister, and my brother, my uncle having contact with him,” said Father Walker. 

Father Walker says stories about the Argentine Archbishop can be found on almost every corner.

His uncle, who was also a Jesuit, once brought the future pontiff home to meet the family.  

 “He love pasta, Italian food, red wine, bread, baguettes,” said Father Walker.

Even after Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio left Argentina and became Pope Francis, Father Walker says he’s still bringing people back to the pews.

“Now they come back, they feel another door has been opened for them,” said Father Walker. 

It’s a bond between the pope and his people that many wouldn’t understand.

“I see one almost crying. A lady from Mexico used to help us in the rectory, I say, ‘what happened? what’s going on?’ and she said to me, ‘finally we will have a pope that will understand us now,” said Father Walker. 

In the end, Father Walker feels the holy father will be remembered for his kindness. 

“You know, Pope Francis, but I would say, perhaps the shepherd, the merciful shepherd, will be what he wants to be called,” said Father Walker. 

And he trusts that the next pope chosen will follow the teachings of Christ just as Pope Francis did.

Cementing His Love of Mary, Pope Chooses Marian Basilica as Burial Site

By Melissa Corsi and Paula Katinas

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — 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.

Pope Francis is the first pontiff to be buried at St. Mary Major (in Italian, Santa Maria Maggiore) in nearly 400 years.

The last was Pope Clement IX, who died in 1669.

Pope Francis’ devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary was well known. In 2018, he declared a new feast day dedicated to her, the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, to fall on the Monday after Pentecost.

Throughout his 12-year papacy, he had a special connection to the basilica. Before and after each apostolic trip to a foreign nation, the Holy Father would go there to pray.

He maintained that connection even in his final weeks. When he was released from the hospital on March 23 after a 38-day stay, he had the car pull up outside the basilica so he could pray before returning to the Vatican.

Msgr. Steven Aguggia, chancellor for the Diocese of Brooklyn, was in Rome for the canonization of Carlo Acutis, which has since been postponed, on the day Pope Francis passed away.

He explained that not only is the choice of the basilica itself significant, but the spot within the building where the late pontiff will be buried is also notable.

The Holy Father requested that his tomb be placed next to the Pauline Chapel, which houses the Salus Populi Romani (Latin for Salvation of the Roman People), a famous Marian icon. Consisting of a painted image of the Madonna and Child, Salus Populi Romani is attributed to St. Luke the Evangelist, the patron saint of painters, and has been displayed in the basilica since 590.

“I think the icon probably went into the pope’s decision as well,” Msgr. Aguggia said, adding that the basilica, which he has visited many times, is the type of place that can take one’s breath away.

“It’s magnificent when you walk in,” he said. “It overwhelms you with the size of it, but also the beauty of it and the history of it.”

Pope Francis prays in front of the icon of “Salus Populi Romani,” (health of the Roman people), at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome July 20, 2013. (Photo: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano)

Father Joseph Gibino, vicar for the secretariat for evangelization and catechesis for the diocese, who has stepped inside the basilica many times, called it magnificent.

“As you enter into the basilica, it kind of forces you to look up and take in the whole incredible image of the church, but also the glory of God,” Father Gibino said. “It’s one of those places where it is very easy to sense God’s grandeur and the importance of Mary as Mother of the Church.”

The Basilica of St. Mary Major is one of four papal basilicas in Rome — the others are St. Peter, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside the Walls.

With a tower standing 240 feet and a main nave measuring 280 feet, it is the largest Marian church in the Eternal City.

The history of the basilica dates back to Aug. 5, 352, when Pope Liberius had a vision of the Virgin Mary, who instructed him to build a church in a spot where snow would fall that night, despite the fact that it was summer. It is believed that snow did indeed fall.

That miracle is the reason the Blessed Virgin Mary is sometimes referred to as “Our Lady of the Snows.” To commemorate that miracle, white flower petals are released from the ceiling in the Pauline Chapel to simulate snow every Aug. 5.

The Church of St. Mary Major was built in 354, but in 432, Pope Sixtus III had it demolished and replaced by a larger structure in response to the Second Council of Ephesus in 431 — the gathering at which bishops affirmed the doctrine that Mary is truly the mother of God.

While the basilica has undergone a number of revisions over the centuries, “it’s now got a very Baroque style to the architecture and the artwork inside,” Msgr. Aguggia said. “But it does retain the ancient shape of the basilica as it was built centuries ago.”

The interior “is overwhelmingly beautiful, with the Baroque type of art, which is very elaborate,” he added.

In addition to the Salus Populi Romani, the basilica houses an important relic — wood from the manger in which Jesus was placed after his birth. For this reason, the basilica is often referred to as “Bethlehem of the West.”

Given Pope Francis’ devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Father Gibino said he wasn’t surprised to learn that the basilica will be the Holy Father’s final resting place.

“It made sense that he would choose it as a place to be buried,” Father Gibino said, “near the heart of the church.”

Pope Francis burns incense in front of a Marian statue after consecrating the world and, in particular, Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary during a Lenten penance service in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 25, 2022.  (Photo: CNS/Vatican Media)