As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial.Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest - awaiting the day of the Resurrection - in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

As a mark of respect for the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government...

King Charles has said he and Queen Camilla have "heavy hearts" after Pope Francis's death, as they paid tribute to his "compassion" and "tireless commitment" to people of faith.In a statement, the King said that though "deeply saddened", their sorrow had been "somewhat eased" by the Pope being able to share an Easter greeting with the world on Sunday, before he died aged 88.

Apposizione dei sigilli all'appartamento papale, 21 aprile 2025...

As the world now knows about the death of Pope Francis on the first Monday of the Octave of Easter, it is important to address both the human condition and the Divine condition that both defined Pope Francis and surrounded him at the same time. As the Holy Father, Pope Francis sought the spiritually marginalized, the down-trodden, the lost, the ignored in the peripheries which defined much of his Pontificate...

Many things will be said about the death of Pope Francis today. Many of them will have to do with politics and controversy. That he met with the vice president of the United States the last day of his life certainly won’t be missed in the coverage. But this pope of the peripheries, as he will forever be known — from South America, so often associating himself with those who would otherwise be most forgotten...

In his beautiful treatment of the resurrection in the Summa theologiae, Thomas Aquinas writes that one of the reasons why Christ had to rise from the dead is to “confirm our faith in his divinity” (ST IIIa, q. 53, a. 1) Christ’s resurrection—and his prior raising of Lazarus—are miracles that teach us about who Christ is and strengthen our hope for our own future resurrection...

Scientists say that, when a strong earthquake occurs, it sometimes causes the rotation of the earth to shift slightly, even minutely changing the shape of the planet and the length of a day. By contrast, it often seems that the Catholic Church and the papacy in these latter days have a weak and not always helpful influence around the globe...

Th e prophet Daniel in a vision saw “One like the Son of Man” receive everlasting kingship (see Daniel 7:9–14). John is taken to heaven in today’s Second Reading where he sees Daniel’s prophecy fulfilled in Jesus, who appears as “One like a Son of Man.” Jesus is clad in the robe of a High Priest (see Exodus 28:4; Wisdom 18:24) and wearing the gold sash of a king (see 1 Maccabees 10:89). He has been exalted by the right hand of the Lord, as we sing in today’s Psalm.

I began working in the Vatican Secretariat of State under Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. By the time Cardinal Bergoglio was elected to the Chair of Peter in 2013, I felt I had a pretty good grasp on how things worked. Then the first Latin American pope decided to shake things up. He settled down not in the Apostolic Palace, but in the Domus Sanctae Marthae so that he could be surrounded by people...