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.
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.
By Currents News and Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY – To the chanting of Christ’s promise, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,” the mortal remains of Pope Francis were carried into St. Peter’s Basilica by 14 pallbearers.
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 basilica was to be open until midnight April 23, from 7 a.m. to midnight April 24 and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 25 for visits by the public. Another rite, to close the casket, was scheduled for late April 25. The pope’s funeral was scheduled for April 26 in St. Peter’s Square with burial to follow at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major.
RELATED: Pope’s Funeral Set for April 26, Public Viewing April 23-25
U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, as chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, led the prayer service that accompanied the transfer of the body from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the pope had lived and where he died April 21 at the age of 88.
More than 80 cardinals joined the procession ahead of Cardinal Farrell, who was wearing a red and gold cope, and immediately preceded the pallbearers flanked by members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.
Directly behind the casket were the men closest to the pope in his final days: his nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti; his two valets; and his personal secretaries.
Three religious sisters and a laywoman, whom the pope had appointed to top positions in the Roman Curia, came behind them: Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Raffaella Petrini, president of the office governing Vatican City State; Salesian Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Xavière Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops; and Emilce Cuda, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
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The basilica’s bell-ringer sounded the death knell as the procession began.
To the singing of Psalms, beginning with “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23), the procession with the casket went into St. Peter’s Square amid the public and then up the central ramp – where Pope Francis would ride in the popemobile – and into the church.
Inside the basilica, the choir and assembly chanted the Litany of Saints and then “Subvenite Sancti Dei,” which begins with the petition: “Saints of God, come to his aid. Hasten to meet him, angels of the Lord. Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.”
Pope Francis’ body, in a zinc-lined wooden casket covered in red fabric, was placed before the main altar on a low platform cut at an angle so that people coming to pay their respects could see his face.
Cardinal Farrell blessed the pope’s body with holy water and incense and led those assembled in praying the Lord’s Prayer.
Removing their red zucchettos, the cardinals bowed before the coffin, made the sign of the cross and left the basilica. They were followed by bishops, both those who work at the Vatican and those who head dioceses, then hundreds of priests and religious and top Vatican lay employees.
RELATED: Jesuit Influence Shaped First America’s Pope
Mary Frances Brennan, who teaches at Kennedy Catholic High School in Seattle, was in the front row in St. Peter’s Square.
She said she had learned the pope had died just a few hours before her flight to Rome was scheduled to leave.
“It was devastating,” she said. “We really wanted to see the pope.”
“He’s my pope,” she said. “I love him and want to honor him.”
Additionally, Brennan said, “now all the people back home have a contact here and can see this through my eyes.”
Waiting in line later to enter the basilica, Adjani Tovar from Mexico City told The Tablet that Pope Francis “was a very disruptive pope: As a Jesuit, a true Jesuit, he naturally had a closer connection with people, especially young people.”
“He addressed topics that had been off-limits in the Catholic Church for a long time, and he’s going to be remembered as a turning point for all the openness he showed to different communities, for his focus on inclusion, his relationships with heads of state, and his constant calls for peace,” Tovar said.
Pope Francis’ body is currently resting in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, and will lie in state at the Vatican beginning on April 23.
Parishioners of the Diocese of Brooklyn are mourning the death of the Holy Father at Mass and sharing remembrances of him.
Meet one young woman who says that her meeting with the pontiff years ago is now what’s motivating her to be an agent of change in her community.
By Katie Vasquez
As Catholics around the world mourn the death of the Holy Father, in the Diocese of Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan consoled his flock.
He led a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Brooklyn, in honor of Pope Francis.
“There’s a certain sense of sadness, but there’s also a great sense of gratitude. We’re grateful to the lord for giving us pope francis for all these years, and to Pope Francis for his leadership, for his strength of leadership and his tenderness,” said Bishop Brennan.
Bishop Brennan has had the chance to meet Pope Francis on numerous occasions and he recalls that it was always a warm experience.
“He met with the bishops for, I would say, almost two hours in a room with just an open forum where he said, okay, ask me anything you want to ask. Tell me anything you want to talk about. and I was struck by his fraternal style and his friendliness,” said Bishop Brennan.
When Angie Cruz, a parishioner at Cathedral Basilica of St James, learned the news the morning of April 21, she knew there was one place she had to be.
“I was in shock. I told my daughter, ‘Let me go, let me go. I don’t know, I think he’s passed away already.’ So I start crying, I thought, let me go to church, because it’s painful.'” said Cruz.
She admired the pope for his care and concern for the environment.
“He was a green pope because he was doing stuff around the planet,” said Cruz.
The Holy Father was a role model for Frost Hernandez, which is part of why he attended the April 21 Mass in his memory.
“One of the reasons why, again, I came here today was not only to pray for the pope, but also to pray for the Church, to pray for the Church and the future of the Church,” said Hernandez.
As the first pope from the Americas, Frost says it was a moment of pride for the Hispanic community.
“I think that a lot of people saw themselves in him,” said Hernandez
And now as Catholics mourn his passing, Bishop Brennan wants young people to never forget all the strides that Pope Francis has made.
“His message was that we really need to learn from your joy, your exuberance and, my message to the young people today would be to keep that going, keep that joy and exuberance going,” said Bishop Brennan.
By Carol Glatz and Currents News
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – 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.
Among his last words were his thanks to Strappetti late April 20 when he said, “Thank you for bringing me back to the square,” referring to the pope’s surprise appearance after giving his Easter blessing from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The 88-year-old pope, who was still recovering from pneumonia, did not attend the Easter Mass April 20, but he did appear shortly after noon to give the solemn blessing. With his voice still weak, he wished everyone a Happy Easter and he barely raised his arms as he made the sign of the cross.
“The pope wanted to make one last significant surprise by going to St. Peter’s Square for a ride in the popemobile,” Vatican News said in a report April 22. However, the pope was a little unsure and asked Strappetti, “Do you think I can do it?”
The nurse, who had been by his side for the 38 days he was hospitalized in Rome’s Gemelli hospital and then by his bedside 24/7 at the pope’s residence in the Domus Sanctae Marthae since his return March 23, reassured him that he could, Vatican News reported.
For 15 minutes, Pope Francis rode around St. Peter’s Square and a portion of the wide boulevard leading to the square, filled with about 50,000 people. He blessed a few babies and tried to wave; the crowds were thrilled, waving and running where possible to get a closer view.
Even though the pope made a number of surprise appearances in his wheelchair in St. Peter’s Basilica after he was discharged from the hospital and he appeared briefly in the square in his wheelchair at the end of the closing Mass of the Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers April 6 and Palm Sunday April 13, Easter marked his first open popemobile ride since his one-day trip to Corsica in December.
Vatican News reported the pope returned to his residence April 20 “tired, but happy” and he thanked Strappetti for “bringing me back to the square.” The pope hired him to be his personal nurse in 2022.
The pope then rested that afternoon and had a relaxing dinner, Vatican News said.
The first signs that something was wrong happened the next day around 5:30 a.m. followed by “prompt intervention by those watching over him,” it said.
More than an hour later, the pope, who was lying on his bed in his apartment, gestured to wave farewell to Strappetti and slipped into a coma, it said.
“He did not suffer, everything happened quickly,” according to those who were with the pope those final moments, Vatican News reported.
The pope died at 7:35 a.m. from a stroke, the coma and heart failure, the Vatican said.
by Cindy Wooden and Currents News
ATICAN CITY (CNS) – The funeral Mass of Pope Francis will be celebrated April 26 in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the liturgy, which begins a nine-day period of official mourning and daily memorial Masses.
The deceased pope’s body, which was taken to the chapel of his residence late April 21, the day of his death, will be carried into St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing and prayer early April 23.
The public viewing was scheduled to end late April 25 with another prayer service to close the coffin.
RELATED: Pope Died of Stroke, Heart Attack, Coma, Vatican Says
Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said the Mass originally scheduled for the Jubilee for Adolescents April 27 would be one of the eight memorial Masses that follow the funeral of the pope. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was secretary of state under Pope Francis, will preside.
The rites and rituals for dressing the body, moving it to St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrating the funeral are published in the “Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis” (“Funeral Rites of the Roman Pontiff”).
The rites originally were approved by St. John Paul II in 1998 but were released only when he died in 2005. Modified versions of the rites were used after Pope Benedict XVI died Dec. 31, 2022, and Pope Francis revised and simplified them in 2024.
U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, the chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, presided over a prayer service for the formal verification of the pope’s death April 21 in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where Pope Francis celebrated an early morning Mass most days before his final illness.
Cardinal Farrell will lead the prayerful procession to take the pope’s body, already in its coffin, from the chapel, into St. Peter’s Square and then into the basilica.
By Currents News
In honor of Pope Francis, we leave you with these happy moments from the Holy Father’s 12 years as pope.
Pope Francis, known as “the people’s pope,” has passed away at the age of 88.
Just hours after the Holy Father gave his very last blessings to pilgrims in Rome on Easter Sunday, Catholics around the world are mourning his loss.
Currents News takes a look back at the impact Pope Francis’ pontificate had on the faithful in the Diocese of Brooklyn, at the Vatican, and beyond.
By Alexandra Moyen and Jessica Easthope
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Since attending World Youth Day for the first time as pope in 2013, Pope Francis encouraged young people to invite God into their lives and go forward as Christ’s disciples. Typically held in the summer, the global event — held every two to three years — was created in 1985 by Pope St. John Paul II to bring together young Catholics from around the world.
Pope Francis attended four World Youth Day celebrations, sharing messages of hope, empathy, and mission at each.
World Youth Day 2013, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Roughly 3 million people attended the final Mass of World Youth Day 2013, Pope Francis’ first. The celebration was held in his native South America, and took place just months after his election. The theme was “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
The Holy Father said in his homily that he believed Jesus was speaking to each of them, saying, “It was wonderful to take part in World Youth Day, to live the faith together with young people from the four corners of the earth.”
“But now you must go, now you must pass on this experience to others,” he said. Pope Francis also emphasized the importance of a missionary spirit, and told the young people that the Lord had given them three simple ideas: “Go, do not be afraid, and serve.”
Romeo Petric, a board chairman for St. Patrick Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge, said he and his youth group had a bit of trouble trying to find the best vantage point to see Pope Francis. Yet, as they say, “good things come to those who wait,” Petric said.
“We were a bit far from the main venue, but as he [drove], once up and down the boulevard that bordered the beaches, the kids were finally able to get a glimpse of him and wave as he zipped by,” he said.
World Youth Day 2016, Kraków, Poland
Held in the hometown of Pope St. John Paul II, the theme of World Youth Day 2016 was “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Angelica Taveras, director of Youth Ministry for Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Queens Village, said her trip to Poland was a true representation of the “universal Church.”
While leaving the opening Mass, Taveras said she had a “beautiful moment.”
“We were all walking out shoulder to shoulder because thousands of people are coming out at the same time,” Taveras said. “All of a sudden we’re singing a song. I’m singing it in Spanish and the person next to me is singing it in a different language.”
“There was such a profound connection,” she added. “You hear the same song and all of a sudden we are singing it in different languages and the person next to me just smiles and we laughed.”
World Youth Day 2019, Panama City, Panama
The 34th World Youth Day was held in Central America for the first time, with the theme, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
On the last day, Pope Francis celebrated Mass, focusing his homily on Mary as an example of youthful discipleship. He said that like Mary, young people need to say yes “to the dream God has sown” in them.
The Holy Father also addressed the dangers of sitting around and waiting for their calling, saying that for Jesus, “there is no meantime.” “You, dear young people, are not the future but the now of God,” Pope Francis said. “He invites you and calls you in your communities and cities to go out and find your grandparents and your elders, to stand up with them, to speak out, and to realize the dream that the Lord has dreamed for you.”
Petric, who has attended six World Youth Days, said the diversity of the Panama gathering stood out. He believes that the event being held in Central America made it easier for many people to travel.
“When he arrived, that was a lot of fun,” Petric said. “He seemed to drive around a little bit slower, and I think that alludes to the fact that he’s from South America.
“When we went to our catechesis sessions, it was a lot smaller place to be,” he added, “and everybody got into it. It did feel a lot more one on one.”
World Youth Day 2023, Lisbon, Portugal
Over 1 million people flocked to Lisbon for he closing Mass of World Youth Day 2023, which was dubbed the “Catholic Woodstock” by the Portuguese press. The theme was “Mary arose and went with haste,” with Pope Francis once again highlighting Mary, and urging young people to not be afraid of stepping forward in faith.
The Holy Father explained to the crowd that shining their light doesn’t mean putting themselves in the spotlight but welcoming Jesus into their hearts, and learning to love as he did. He repeatedly told them not to be afraid. Steven Eriquez, then the youth minister of Our Lady of Grace Church in Howard Beach, attended the gathering with two of his children and 12 members of the church’s youth group.
Eriquez recalled the kid’s excitement when Pope Francis traveled around the city in his popemobile.
“It was Thursday evening when the pope drove right past us — the weather was perfect,” Eriquez said. “We all looked at each other at that point and were like, ‘We could go home and be happy.’ ” Eriquez, now a youth minister at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Forest Hills, said the trip
was a success the moment they saw Pope Francis, adding that moments like those remind him of what the Church is really about.
“When they’re in that moment and surrounded by 1 million people their age, they can now be moved by the impact of the Catholic Church throughout the world,” Eriquez said.
As the event came to a close, it was announced that the next World Youth Day would be held in South Korea in 2027. After the announcement, Petric said the first thing he did was ask the kids who would be joining him, and they all raised their hands.
“I have a group that I’m hoping would be interested in participating,” he said. “Hopefully, they’ll be interested in going and maybe drag a friend or two with them, which is always a good thing every time somebody new comes along or if I get a kid from a neighboring parish that wants to go.”