Pope Francis Requiescat in Pace
Pope Francis has died aged 88, the Vatican Press Office has confirmed.
He served as the 265th successor of St Peter from his election on 13 March 2013 to 21 April 2025.
At 9:45am, Rome time, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”
Statement of Bishop Larry Duffy on the death of Pope Francis
We are all deeply saddened by the death of Pope Francis. His 12 years as Supreme Pastor of the Church provided us all with a form and substance of leadership that reflected his closeness to people of the margins, to the poorest and to those in great need. Through his preaching, his teaching and his travels, he gave witness to the values of the Gospel, the central place of mercy in our church and the need for us all to be people of hope, a hope rooted in Jesus Christ. He also placed great emphasis on the urgency of tackling the environmental crisis in our world and the need to prioritise the care of our common home.
Pope Francis also reached out to other Christian Churches and Communities and to people of other faiths. He exemplified dialogue as a pathway to addressing the many questions we all face whether as people of faith or as brothers and sisters living together in this world. This sense of listening and dialogue also found its place in our Church structures, with his emphasis on synodality – of listening to each other and discerning the promptings of the Holy Spirit and of walking together in terms of us all being co-responsible for our Church at every level.
We will all find much to reflect on about the life and ministry of Pope Francis. His great sense of outreach to the underdog, his emphasis on mercy and hope – all of this firmly rooted in his love of God – will surely provide us with a lasting legacy. This is reflected in the outpouring of love and sympathy at his passing.
May the Risen Lord bring him to eternal life in the fullness of the Resurrection.
Vatican Media has released the first images of the Holy Father lying in state in the Chapel of the Casa Santa Marta, his residence in the Vatican.
On Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., the first day of the Novendiali, the Funeral Mass of the Roman Pontiff Francis will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica, according to the provisions of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis (nn. 82-109).
The funeral liturgy will be presided over by His Eminence the Most Reverend Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.
The body of the late Pope Francis will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday at 9:00 AM to lie in state until his funeral on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.
The Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday that Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the funeral Mass, which will be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe.
The Eucharistic celebration will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, or nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul.
The late Pope’s body will then be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the coffin containing the Pope’s body will be carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the rite of translation on April 23, which will begin at 9:00 AM with a moment of prayer.
The procession will pass through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, according to the Holy See Press Office.
The procession will then exit through the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square and enter the Vatican Basilica through the central door.
At the Altar of the Confession, the Cardinal Camerlengo will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, at the conclusion of which the visits to the body of the Roman Pontiff will commence.
