Esquivel Telles, 55, in St. Peter’s Basilica to Say Goodbye to a Patient Who Is Fighting Leukemia
A tourist from Guadalajara, Mexico, Esquivel Telles, 55, got on a waitlist three months ago, for a group audience with Pope Francis. She was diagnosed with leukemia and had prayed to him. She went to the Vatican to give thanks, now that she’s cancer-free.
To meet him was a dream of mine. “But now we have to say goodbye,” she stated as she walked through the cobblestones of St. Peter’s Square.
Faithful from around the world are pouring into the Vatican to mourn Francis, who died Monday of a stroke and ‘cardiocirculatory collapse.’ He was 88. Public viewing of his body will begin Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, after his casket is taken by procession from the Vatican hotel where he lived.
The locals and tourists lit candles, placed flowers, and wrote their sympathies on the pillars around St. Peter’s Square.
Photo and video of the Vatican with Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. The Last Days of Pope Francis’ Visit to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major
Maria is from Alicante, Spain, she says that he was a very caring father and revolutionary pope. “He tried to change many things in a church that’s antiquated.”
The Vatican says the pope’s funeral will be Saturday at 10 a.m. local time, celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
Francis will be buried in the basilica of Saint Mary Major, a smaller church in Rome that is frequented by immigrants, according to the last testament.
After every foreign trip, Francis would visit the basilica to pray before a painting of the Virgin Mary. He was there about a week or so ago.
Presidents, prime ministers and royalty are preparing to travel to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, which will be the most prominent gathering of world leaders since President Trump’s inauguration in January.
The first photos of the pope in his open casket were released by the Vatican. In one, he’s flanked by two Swiss Guards in striped uniforms. In another, the Vatican’s secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, prays alongside him. The pope wears vestments.
The Vatican Publishing House also Tuesday released a preface written by Francis in February of a book in Italian by Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop emeritus of Milan, entitled ‘Awaiting a New Beginning. Reflections on old age.
“We must not be afraid of old age, we must not fear embracing becoming old, because life is life, and sugarcoating reality means betraying the truth of things,” the late pope wrote.
The Vatican, the camerlengo, and what the world will do next: Cardinal Kevin Farrell’s funeral in Brazil, his first foreign trip in his second term
Until a new pope is named, the acting head of the Vatican is the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell — a Dublin-born naturalized U.S. citizen. He is in charge of preparing the conclave, which will lead to a new pope, and sealed off the pope’s apartment.
The Vatican’s media office posted a video on social media showing the doors of Francis’ apartment being sealed with red wax after they were tied shut.
Catholic cardinals from around the world are making their way to the Vatican. Their conclave is expected to be held within 15 to 20 days of the pope’s death.
They vote on who should be the next pope, often multiple times over a period of several days. Their votes take place in the Sistine Chapel and are completely secret.
The international affairs adviser said that Mr. Duda and his wife would attend. He was guided by humility and simplicity throughout his pastoral ministry according to the leader of a deeply Catholic country.
Brazil, which is the world’s largest Catholic nation, is mourning for Francis for seven days. The pope’s smile and his faith were remembered by Mr. Lula in a post on X.
Mr. Macron praised Francis for standing alongside “the most vulnerable and the most fragile,” and cut short a trip to the Indian Ocean region after the pope’s death.
Ms. Meloni led tributes to Francis on Monday, praising him as “a great man and a great pastor.” She spent time with him in the hospital. She said she enjoyed his friendship, his advice, and his teachings, which never failed even in moments of trial and suffering.
The funeral on Saturday will end almost a week of mourning for Francis, whose advocacy for the poor and migrants caused him to be at odds with some of the powerful people who will attend his funeral inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
Pope Francis had come in for harsh criticism from other world leaders, like President of Argentina, who called him a “Filthy Leftist”, and from other world leaders like Mr. Trump, who openly criticized the pope.
Francis’ funeral will be Mr. Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term, and his first time seeing many of his global peers since he began to shake the world order with steep tariffs, erratic policy swings and dramatic deportations.
Mr. Milei will attend the funeral of Francis, who was a proud Argentine and seen as a national hero. Last year, Mr. Milei and the pope appeared to work things out.
Prince William will attend on behalf of his father, King Charles III, Kensington Palace said in a statement on Tuesday. The king and queen had a meeting with Francis. Mr. Starmer, the head of the British government, described Francis’ leadership as “courageous” and noted his concern for “the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten” in a post on X.