Nuns wait before a rosary prayer outside the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, where the late Pope Francis will be buried in Rome (Image: AP) VATICAN CITY: Heads of state and royalty will start converging on Rome on Friday for the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square, but the group of poor […]
Before mourners in their thousands gather in St. Peter’s Square to grieve, before leaders from around the world arrive to pay their respects, and long before cardinals cloister themselves to consider the future, the Vatican holds a small ceremony when a pope dies. It did so again around 8 p.m. Monday when, just over 12 […]
At the cathedral mourners lined up to take photos of a framed photograph of the pope before a gilded altar. It was flanked by a papal tiara and a giant staff, meant to symbolize his pastoral work. In a notebook, they scrawled messages of condolences. “He was just different,” said Diana Pallais, 56, a Nicaraguan […]
Pope Francis‘s last public appearance came just a day before his death, as he made an unexpected tour of St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday — a farewell that now stands as the closing chapter of his papacy.The 88-year-old pontiff, who had recently been discharged from hospital after a five-week battle with a severe infection […]
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy led tributes to Pope Francis from political leaders around the world on Monday, praising him as “a great man and a great pastor.” Most paid homage to the pope’s commitment to speaking out on behalf of the poor. “I had the privilege of enjoying his friendship, his advice and […]
