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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)

The Vatican Without Pope Francis: Traditions and Changes to Expect

By Currents News

What not many know about the Vacant Seat of the pope is that all senior Curia officials are leaving office. Cardinal Pietro Parolin is no longer in the number two position of the Holy See, nor do the former prefects now perform their duties as heads of dicasteries.

That is why roles and functions are closely monitored in Vatican protocol. Almost everything falls into the hands of the Camerlengo, Kevin Farrell, who, having that position, will preside over the rite to close Pope Francis’s coffin.

But first, a series of steps must be followed, as what happened with Pope Benedict XVI. A record commemorating the life and works of the deceased will be read and, after being signed by some people present, will be laid in a metal tube that will be placed in the coffin.

The pope’s face will be covered with a white silk veil, and inside the coffin, coins minted during the pontificate will be placed in a cloth bag, although they will not be chosen at random.

They must indicate their duration: one gold coin for each year, one silver coin for each additional month, and others in bronze for the number of days. This will be the last time anyone will see Pope Francis.

Although the pope modified the funeral procession, the Saturday, April 26 funeral Mass remains the same as it was under his predecessors.

“It’s a somewhat special funeral, we could say, because it’s part of the entire complex of modifications made by Pope Francis. However, what is already the funeral Mass, the Mass that has already been scheduled for Saturday morning, remains the funeral Mass of a bishop, in this case, the Bishop of Rome,” Leonardo Cardoza, doctor of Liturgy, tells Currents News.

RELATED: Poor To Welcome Pope’s Casket to St. Mary Major Where Simple Tomb Is Ready

A newer aspect will be the funeral procession after the Mass. The last one was for Pope Pius XII, who died in 1958, and his body was carried out in a hearse.

“It was a procession in a hearse, a horse-drawn carriage, as in ancient times, from Castel Gandolfo, passing through Via Merulana, to reach St. Peter’s Basilica,” explains. Cardoza. “Now, once again, we will see a procession or transfer of the Pope’s remains, not only for the funeral rites in St. Peter’s, but also leaving Vatican City, crossing the city of Rome to reach the Basilica of St. Mary Major.”

The pope’s tomb will be in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. He himself said how he wanted it – simple, without any particular decoration, and with a single inscription that says “Franciscus.”

Thousands Wait Hours To Pay Respects to Pope Francis

By Currents News and Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – 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.

The open casket was transferred April 23 from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the pope had lived, to the basilica.

As the day progressed, two lines – one to the right of the basilica, the other circling around the left – formed. Moving at a snail’s pace, the lines converged at security checkpoints underneath the colonnade around St. Peter’s Square before joining as one massive line heading through the Holy Door and turning toward the central nave.

Waiting times varied, with some told to expect a three- or four-hour wait, while some people leaving the basilica had said it had taken nearly five hours.

Pallbearers carry the body of Pope Francis in an open casket during the procession into St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 23, 2025. The pope will lie in the basilica for public viewing and prayer for three days before his funeral Mass April 26, 2025. (Photo: CNS/Paolo Galosi, pool)

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said that in the first 24 hours viewing was open to the public, that is as of 11 a.m. April 24, more than 50,000 people paid their respects to Pope Francis, who died April 21.

The Vatican had originally announced that the basilica would close at midnight April 23-24. However, given the turnout, viewing hours were extended, with the basilica finally closing for 90 minutes at 5:30 a.m.

By April 24, coordination efforts with Rome police and civil protection agencies seemed more streamlined. Toward the north of the basilica, one massive line stretched across Rome’s Risorgimento Square leading to security checkpoints with volunteers sporting neon green vests guiding crowds along the city’s bustling streets.

By 8 a.m., thousands were already slowly making their way to the basilica.

Another line of pilgrims formed heading down the main road – Via della Conciliazione – leading to the basilica while a third line formed at the southern entrance, toward the left of the Bernini colonnade.

People stand in line outside the Vatican to pay their respects to Pope Francis, lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 23, 2025. Public viewing was to continue until April 25, the night before the late pope’s funeral. (Photo: CNS/Pablo Esparza)

Consuelo and Ana, two friends from Valencia, Spain, who were in Italy on a group trip when the pope’s death was announced, spoke to the Tablet as they stood in line April 23.

The pope’s death “was a total surprise,” Ana said. “We had booked this flight in January, and when he got sick we were a little concerned, but we did not expect it.”

“His death truly was a surprise,” Consuelo added. “We saw him during Holy Week and even though he looked very weak, we did not expect him to pass away!”

The two friends told The Tablet that despite the heat from the Roman sun and an estimated four-hour waiting time ahead of them, they wanted to pay their respects.

Consuelo said she was saddened by Pope Francis’ death “because he gave himself to the people. He was a pope who wanted a church that was closer to today’s reality. And it hurts, it hurts (that he is gone). The church should open itself more to 21st-century society and that’s what he tried to do.”

Ana told The Tablet she was unfazed by the long wait in line and was “willing to wait until the end.”

“Look, I am an atheist, but I still admired him,” she said. “He was an exemplary pope who knew how to open up to new things, to a new society, to new worlds. I am here for this historic moment and taking advantage of the opportunity of being here in Rome.”

Jewish Couple Calls Meeting Pope Francis ‘A Blessing’

By Katie Vasquez

The Krupp’s Long Island home is filled with photos and memories of their many trips to Vatican city.

But Gary and Meredith are not Catholic, they are Jewish. They are also the founders of “Pave the Way Foundation,” a nonprofit that helps bring different faiths together. 

“We don’t deal with theology. We deal with the practical aspects,” said Gary Krupp. 

Not many people can say the pope is a personal friend, and the loss of Pope Francis was devastating for the pair. 

“It was very, very sad. and it’s the third time it’s happened to me. These people, I know three of them,” said Gary Krupp. 

“He loved the people and he loved the children. and, it was always one of our pleasures to be able to meet him and shake his hand,” said Meredith Krupp. 

In fact, they are the only Jewish couple in the history of the Catholic Church to be knighted by the pope. 

“He actually knighted me, which makes me the first Jewish woman in history to be knighted by the pope to a particular order. And I am very blessed about that,” said Meredith Krupp. 

“Only the pope can do this, and the fact that Meredith received this was extremely wonderful,” said Gary Krupp. 

They still have a piece of the Holy Father in their home.

“There’s a tradition where if you buy a new zucchetto, the skullcap for the pope, at the ecclesiastic store,” said Meredith Krupp, “I greeted him, handed him this new one. He took it… took off what he was wearing, gave that one to me, and he put mine on.”

The Krupps’ visited Rome recently, but weren’t able to meet with Pope Francis because he was sick.

Now they are mourning like the rest of the world. 

“He was a very, sweet, kind man,” said Gary. “It’s always been very special; it’s a blessing for us.

“He cared. He cared for the people. And it’s going to be a loss for the Church,” said Meredith. 

 

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 4/23/2025

Pope Francis’ body is lying in state at St. Peter’s Basilica, where faithful have been arriving since early April 23 to pay their respects.

While there are crowds at the Vatican today, we remember a time during the pandemic when the pontiff delivered a message of hope to the world.

Throughout his pontificate the Holy Father expressed a desire for unity among people of all faiths – one Jewish couple from Long Island shares their story of interfaith fraternity with him.

Students at St. John’s University Create Mosaic Tribute to Pope Francis

By Currents News

Pope Francis had a profound impact on young people and the students of St. John’s University are remembering the Holy Father on their Queens, New York campus. 

Each student was given a 3×3 tile to replicate a specific design that all together made a mosaic of the Holy Father. 

No experience was required to take part in the pop-up art studio. Instead, students were allowed to sit, paint, and engage in healing and joyous dialogue, allowing them to mourn and honor the people’s pope.