Pope Francis passed away this Monday after suffering a stroke while recovering from hospitalization due to bilateral pneumonia. As the world mourns his death and condolences mix with respect and sorrow, a farewell process and the election of a new Pope begin.
Firstly, the body of Pope Francis has been lying in state since Monday night in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence where he lived since his election. It will be exposed starting Wednesday at the St. Peter's Basilica, where it will be placed in an open coffin for the faithful to bid farewell.
The date has not been set yet, but according to the latest provisions adopted by Francis for the death of a Pope, the funeral must be held between Friday and Sunday. This Tuesday, there is a first meeting of the cardinals present in Rome to decide the day of the funeral. The ceremony will take place at St. Peter's Basilica, but the burial will be at the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome in line with his last wishes.
The date of the conclave, in which 135 cardinal electors will designate the successor of Francis, is also not set. But according to the same provisions regulating funerals, this meeting must start between the 15th and 20th day after his passing, that is, between May 5 and 10.
Believers in Japan mourn the death of Pope Francis at Tokyo Cathedral
Believers in Japan were crying and praying for the death of Pope Francis this Tuesday at the Tokyo Cathedral, where, although no mass has been organized in his honor yet, a small altar with a photo of the pontiff, a candle, and a crown of white flowers was placed.
"I am very sad about his death," said a Filipino woman around 65 years old residing in Tokyo, with tears in her eyes and visibly affected, who felt the death of Pope Francis as a personal loss.
Like other Japanese and foreign faithful, she went to the Cathedral of Santa Maria in the Japanese capital to pray for the pontiff, who passed away from a stroke the day before, and regretted not being able to see him when he was in Tokyo in 2019 due to the impossibility of getting tickets to attend his mass at the same temple.
Pope in an unpublished text: "Death is not the end of everything, but a new beginning"
"Death is not the end of everything, but the beginning of something (...) It is a new beginning, as highlighted by the title, because eternal life, which those who love already experience on earth in their daily activities, is the beginning of something that will not end. And that is precisely why it is a new beginning because we will live something that we have never fully experienced: eternity," reads the text published this Tuesday by Italian media.
This is the preface dated February 7 of the book by Cardinal Scola, the emeritus Archbishop of Milan, titled "Awaiting a New Beginning. Reflections on Aging," which will be available in bookstores this Thursday.
Philippines, bastion of Catholicism in Asia, bids farewell to the pope with a mass at the cathedral
The Philippines, the country with the most Catholics in Asia, held a mass on Tuesday in honor of Pope Francis at the Manila Cathedral, after the archipelago's president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., bid farewell to the pontiff highlighting that he "led with wisdom and an open heart for all," reports Efe.
The mass in honor of the pope was held on Tuesday in Manila at 9:00 local time (2:00 GMT), presided over by Cardinal José Advíncula and broadcast live on social media platforms like Facebook.
At the beginning of the service, the cardinal lit a candle in memory of the pope, affectionately known in the Philippines as 'Lolo Kiko' -'Grandpa Francis'- with his portrait in the background.
In parallel, Bishop Pablo Virgilio officiated another mass at the San Roque Cathedral in the city of Caloocan, north of Manila, both attended by hundreds of faithful.
China sends condolences for the death of Pope
China expressed its condolences on Tuesday for the death of Pope Francis on Monday and stated its willingness to "work with the Vatican to promote continuous improvement" of their bilateral relations, reports Efe.
"China expresses its condolences for the death of Pope Francis," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun at the daily press briefing.
The Vatican and China have not had diplomatic relations since 1951, after Pius XII excommunicated two bishops appointed by the Chinese government, which in turn expelled the apostolic nuncio, who then settled on the island of Taiwan.
Zelenski to attend the funeral of Pope Francis
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski will attend the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, announced a source from the presidency to AFP on Tuesday.
"The president's office is waiting to know the date of the pope's funeral and is preparing the president's visit to Rome to bid farewell to the pontiff," the source said.
Cardinals to decide today the date of Pope Francis' funeral
Rome woke up in mourning for the death of Pope Francis yesterday morning due to a stroke. The news gathered dozens of journalists from around the world in St. Peter's Square from the early hours of the morning, ready to report in the coming days on Francis' funeral and the subsequent conclave to elect the next head of the Church, which will begin between May 5 and 10.
The Vatican releases the first images of Pope Francis in his coffin
The Vatican released several photographs and a video on Tuesday of the lifeless body of Pope Francis, lying in his coffin in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence escorted by two Swiss guards, reports Efe.
The images, taken on Monday, show the first Latin American pontiff dressed in a red chasuble and white mitre, holding a rosary in his hands. The Argentine Jesuit passed away early Monday at the age of 88.
The defense of the Amazon, Pope Francis' great battle
The defense of the Amazon, both its ecological balance and its inhabitants, was one of Francis' great battles. Considered the most sensitive pontiff to ecological issues after publishing the encyclical "Laudato si" in 2015, the Argentine Pope sought to mobilize world leaders on the great evils of this immense territory.
Therefore, in October 2019, he convened a synod or assembly of bishops dedicated to the Amazon in the Vatican, a region that spans nine countries in South America and measures 7.5 million km2, known for its biodiverse tropical rainforests but currently facing devastation.
For the first time in history, bishops from these remote jungle territories participated alongside experts, missionaries, and indigenous people in meetings held for three weeks at the Apostolic Palace under the theme "Amazon: new paths for the Church and for integral ecology."
Macron announces he will attend Pope Francis' funeral
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that he will attend the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away from a stroke at the age of 88, reports Afp.
"We will be at the pope's funeral, as it should be," declared the French head of state to the press during a trip to La Reunion island. The Vatican will announce on Tuesday the date of the Argentine pontiff's funeral.
India begins official mourning for Pope Francis with flags at half-mast nationwide
India began a three-day period of mourning on Tuesday for the death and funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away yesterday in Rome at the age of 88, reports Efe.