Pope Francis meets with inmates in a surprise visit to the Regina Coeli prison on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Rome. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 24, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Prisoners always held a special place in Pope Francis’ heart, and he demonstrated his love for them throughout his pontificate.

He visited them in the various countries he traveled to and even, for the Jubilee of Hope, decided to open a Holy Door himself at the Rebibbia prison for the first time in history.

During his first Holy Week after being elected pontiff in 2013, he went to the prison to wash the prisoners’ feet, a gesture he repeated every year until his final Holy Thursday, four days before his death.

On April 17, the ailing pontiff visited the prisoners at Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven) prison near the Vatican, a testament to his tireless defense of human dignity and his predilection for castoffs.

Father Raffaele Grimaldi, who oversees the work of Italian prison chaplains, emphasized in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that the initiative by the Holy Father is a sign that “his attention to the least and the poor was evident until his very last day.”

Pope Francis passes this task to us

“When he went to Regina Coeli, a few days before returning to the Father’s House, he wanted to leave us with a great message of ministering to the incarcerated,” he noted.

As Grimaldi sees it, “Pope Francis left this earthly world, passing on to us a task: to continue his work alongside the imprisoned.” 

Despite his poor health, the Holy Father met with 70 prisoners at the onset of the Easter Triduum. During the encounter, the pontiff explained the reason for his visit, linked to Holy Thursday and the traditional act of washing feet: “I like to do every year what Jesus did on Holy Thursday, the washing of feet, in prison.”

“This year I can’t do it, but I can and do want to be close to you. I pray for you and your families,” the pontiff told the prisoners in a weak voice.

After a moment of prayer, Pope Francis personally greeted each of the inmates and blessed them individually.

Grimaldi noted that each prisoner has a story to share: “Stories of suffering, of loneliness, of abandonment, but also a story of sin.”

“Pope Francis, when he washed feet on Holy Thursday in various Italian prisons over the years, wanted to make it understood that, [kneeling] in front of their feet, he had no prejudice, not even toward those who had committed serious crimes. Thus, the detainee feels accepted, without being judged; he feels uplifted by the pope’s words and gestures,” he added.

‘Why them and not me?’

Upon leaving prison last Holy Thursday, Pope Francis recalled the question that arose within him every time he visited a penitentiary: “Why them and not me?”

Grimaldi recalled that, during his encounters with inmates, “he frequently repeated this expression in order to say that within our penitentiary institutions there are also innocent people.”

“Because you can easily end up in prison,” the priest noted, “because you were convicted by human beings, which can also be an erroneous conviction by human beings who can make mistakes.”

“He planted a seed, and his message must be carried forward,” Grimaldi said.

Pope Francis speaks at the at the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens on May 31, 2021, against the backdrop of an image of Our Lady, Undoer (or Untier) of Knots. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Apr 24, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Of the many devotions Pope Francis promoted during his pontificate, perhaps none is better known than his devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots (also referred to as Our Lady, Untier of Knots), whose feast day is observed Sept. 28.

The devotion’s origins can be traced back to Augsburg, Germany, in 1612. Husband and wife Wolfgang Langenmantel and Sophia Rentz were on the verge of divorce, and Langenmantel sought help from Jesuit Father Jakob Rem. The priest took the ribbon from the couple’s wedding ritual, and together they prayed to Our Lady to untie the knots of their marital difficulties, asking for the Blessed Mother to smooth out the ribbon that had bound them together. 

The divorce did not happen, and together the couple lived out their married life. Years later, to commemorate the turn of events, their grandson, Father Hieronymus Langenmantel of St. Peter’s Monastery in Augsburg, commissioned Johann Melchior Georg Schmidttner to paint “Untier of Knots” in about the year 1700. It is still housed in St. Peter’s Church in Augsburg today.

While it has been reported that Pope Francis encountered the painting while studying in Germany, the pope pointed out in a 2017 interview with German news outlet Zeit that he has never been to Augsburg. What happened, he explained in the interview, was that a nun whom he had met while in Germany sent him a card at Christmas with the image on it.

The picture made an impression on the future pope, who noted that Langenmantel based his actions on a quote from St. Irenaeus: “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith” (“Against Heresies,” 3, 22, 4, as quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 494).

The pope said he liked the image so much that he started sending postcards of it, too.

Replicas of the image were painted in the pope’s home country, Argentina, and devotion there spread. Once Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013, devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots spread throughout the world.

Francis has talked about the devotion throughout his pontificate, even praying specifically to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is a prayer to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots from Pray More Novenas:

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of his children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, O safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

This article was first published on Sept. 28, 2023, and has been updated.

Pope Francis is welcomed to APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on Sept. 7, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Staff, Apr 24, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis, who died April 21 at age 88, traveled abroad on apostolic journeys nearly 50 times during his 12-year papacy. The octagenarian pope continued to travel even after being hampered for a time by the COVID-19 pandemic and battling failing health in the latter years of his life. 

Francis’ 47 apostolic journeys brought him to 68 countries, Vatican News reported Monday — and those journeys included a number of papal firsts. His visits galvanized the often small Christian communities in the countries he visited and bore fruit in the form of ecumenical meetings and dialogue with non-Catholic leaders. 

In March 2021, the then-84-year-old landed in Baghdad, Iraq, the first pope to visit the country. He also later became the first pope — and indeed the first Western leader — to visit South Sudan. 

Check out the interactive map below to see a selection of some of Pope Francis’ most notable apostolic journeys.

Cardinals in Rome. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Apr 24, 2025 / 02:04 am (CNA).

The College of Cardinals saw a significant increase in attendance at Wednesday’s general congregation, with 103 cardinals now present in Rome — nearly double the approximately 60 who participated in Tuesday’s initial gathering.

The cardinals began their second meeting with prayers for Pope Francis before making several key decisions regarding the sede vacante period, including finalizing the schedule for the Novendiales — the nine-day mourning period that begins with Saturday’s requiem Mass.

According to the Office for Papal Liturgical Celebrations, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the funeral Mass for Pope Francis on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. Rome time.

The congregation also determined which cardinals will celebrate each of the subsequent Novendiales Masses through May 4. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, will preside at Sunday’s Mass, which begins at 10:30 a.m., while the remaining Masses will be celebrated at 5 p.m. each day.

While all 252 cardinals may participate in the general congregations regardless of age, only the 135 cardinals under 80 years old will be eligible to vote in the upcoming conclave. This number exceeds the traditional limit of 120 voting cardinals — a restriction that Pope Francis chose to waive during his pontificate.

The third general congregation is scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m. Rome time as more cardinals continue to arrive in the Eternal City.

Meanwhile, the faithful continue to file through St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis. Vatican officials report that approximately 20,000 people had entered the basilica by 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, though this figure appears conservative given wait times of up to five hours and the steady movement of the queue.

The Holy See Press Office also announced that 4,000 journalists have already received Vatican accreditation to cover Pope Francis’ funeral and the subsequent conclave.

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks on the U.S. opioid crisis at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 23, 2025. / Credit: SETH HERALD/AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 23, 2025 / 17:26 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) hosted the inaugural meeting this week of a new task force to counter anti-Christian bias in federal government policies, regulations, and practices.

“Protecting Christians from bias is not favoritism,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said ahead of the meeting. “It’s upholding the rule of law and fulfilling the constitutional promise [in the First Amendment].”

The task force’s first meeting on Tuesday was closed to the public and the media but included the heads of multiple federal departments and agencies along with witnesses who provided testimony on anti-Christian bias within the federal government.

President Donald Trump formally established the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias on Feb. 6 by executive order. His order commissioned a comprehensive review of federal departments and agencies, particularly to reverse certain actions of the previous administration.

Specific concerns of anti-Christian bias

A news release following the meeting detailed some of the concerns and policies administration officials are reviewing.

One Catholic-specific concern discussed in the meeting was the since-retracted January 2023 memo from the Richmond Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which detailed an investigation into supposed ties between “radical traditionalist” Catholics and “the far-right white nationalist movement.”

The document called for “trip wire or source development” within Catholic parishes that offer the Traditional Latin Mass and within online Catholic communities. Later revelations from the House Judiciary Committee found that the Richmond FBI used at least one undercover agent to obtain information on traditionalist Catholics and coordinated with other FBI field offices on the matter.

According to an April 22 news release after the task force meeting, Trump’s FBI director, Kash Patel, discussed “the impact of the anti-Catholic memo” during the gathering and “reiterated the FBI’s commitment to rooting out any anti-Christian bias that could be directing decisions or investigations.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the news release notes, brought up concerns about bias against a Christian Foreign Service Officer who “was threatened with an investigation for child abuse” for insisting on home-schooling his child.

According to the news release, Rubio also expressed disapproval of the Department of State stigmatizing workers who opposed the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds and retaliation against employees for “opposing DEI/LGBT ideology.” 

For her part, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon discussed concerns about gender ideology in education policies and school districts socially transitioning children without their parents’ knowledge. 

Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender voiced concerns about the Biden administration removing certain tax classifications from Christian and pro-life organizations and objections to debanking.

Michael Farris, an attorney and founder of Patrick Henry College, was one of the witnesses. Farris called attention to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigating and charging Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel for alleged Johnson Amendment violations.

Phil Mendes, a U.S. Navy Seal, spoke about how he was relieved of his duty under the Biden administration for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

CNA reached out to the DOJ and FBI for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

“As shown by our victims’ stories today, Biden’s Department of Justice abused and targeted peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses,” Bondi said in a statement after the meeting. “Thanks to President Trump, we have ended those abuses, and we will continue to work closely with every member of this task force to protect every American’s right to speak and worship freely.”

Pilgrims line up inside the St. Peter’s Basilica to see Pope Francis lying in state. / Credit: Victoria Cardiel / EWTN News

Vatican City, Apr 23, 2025 / 16:51 pm (CNA).

In the endless lines of pilgrims wishing to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose coffin now lies open in St. Peter’s Basilica, feelings of grief and sadness are the order of the day.

“God took him too soon,” said Carmina, who had come to Rome from southern Italy for the Holy Week liturgical celebrations and after hearing the news of his death, decided to extend her stay.

“I didn’t want to leave without seeing him one last time. I was here on Sunday and saw him pass by from afar. I can’t believe he’s gone,” she told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

In St. Peter’s Square, the thousands of chairs that had been set up for Easter Sunday Mass, one of the most important celebrations for Christians, remain in place. They will now be used to accommodate the tens of thousands of people expected to attend the pope’s funeral, which will be celebrated by  Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“He made the circuit around the square here in the popemobile. It seems as if he wanted to say goodbye,” she reflected.

Next to Carmina, a group of nuns were quietly praying, rosaries in their hands, while leaning against one of the barriers used by the police to create a sort of corridor to manage the flow into St. Peter’s Basilica.

“We’re too distressed to speak or do an interview,” one of them said with tears in her eyes.

Later, a Colombian priest studying in Rome commented that although people knew the pope “was very ill,” it was still a “surprise.”

He watched on the large screens installed in St. Peter’s Square as the coffin with Pope Francis’ body was brought in and confessed that he cried when “the church bells tolled for his death.” 

“He was a great pope,” said Carlo, a young university student who noted that although he considers himself agnostic, he wanted to come by and pray for the late pontiff. This young man, like everyone else in line, waited in line for five hours.

In the flow of people entering the basilica, strangers paused to chat and even make friends. 

Amid the crowd were two priests who work at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. They had the privilege of being part of the cortege that accompanied Pope Francis’ remains from St. Martha’s House.

Father Nicolaus, who is German, said the most important thing for him was to pray for the Church in these times when it’s been sort of orphaned.

“We’ve prayed for the Holy Father and we will now pray for the Catholic Church and for the future, giving thanks for all he has done and praying for the next pope who will come,” he said.

“We pray for the unity of the Church, which is very important at this time,” noted Father Giovanni, an Italian.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance meets Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, at the Vatican / Credit: Vatican Media/Screenshot

CNA Staff, Apr 23, 2025 / 16:21 pm (CNA).

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said this week that he is refusing to politicize Pope Francis’ death, hailing the late pontiff as a “broad” figure and a “great” leader of the Catholic Church. 

“A lot of people, especially in the American press, want to make the Holy Father — his entire legacy and even his death — about American politics,” Vance told reporters in Agra, India, while on a four-day visit with his wife, Usha, the first Hindu-American second lady. 

“He was obviously a much broader figure than the United States of America. He represents over a billion Catholics worldwide,” Vance said. 

The two leaders publicly disagreed on politics earlier in the year. In February, Pope Francis sent a pastoral letter to the U.S. bishops encouraging officials to recognize the dignity of immigrants after Vance, a Catholic convert, publicly advocated applying “ordo amoris,” or “rightly-ordered love,” to the immigration debate. 

“[A]s an American leader, but also just as an American citizen, your compassion belongs first to your fellow citizens,” Vance said at the time, while acknowledging that the principle “doesn’t mean you hate people from outside of your own borders.”

In the letter, Francis tacitly rebuked Vance’s remarks, arguing in part that “the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution, or serious deterioration of the environment damages the dignity of many men and women.”

When asked about his response to these “disagreements,” Vance said he was “aware” of them but noted that the pope “also had a lot of agreements with some of the policies of our administration.”

“I’m not going to soil the man’s legacy by talking about politics,” Vance said. “I think he was a great Christian pastor, and that’s how I choose to remember the Holy Father.”

When asked what type of pope he would prefer to be elected next, Vance said he would pray for the cardinals who will cast the votes in the upcoming conclave. 

“I won’t pretend to give guidance to the cardinals on who they should select as the next pope,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of issues to focus on in the United States.”

“I’ll just say a prayer for wisdom because I obviously want them to pick the right person, I want them to pick somebody who will be good for the world’s Catholics, but I’ll let them make that decision and obviously they’re entitled to do so,” Vance continued. 

JD Vance was among the last officials to meet with the late Pope Francis before he died on Monday. 

When asked about their providential meeting on Easter Sunday morning, Vance said he had “thought a lot about that.” 

“I think it was a great blessing,” Vance shared. 

In their meeting, Pope Francis gave the vice president three chocolate Easter eggs for his three young children as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries.

“It’s pretty crazy actually, and obviously when I saw him I didn’t know he had less than 24 hours still on this earth,” Vance said.

“He saw a lot of people, he affected a lot of lives,” Vance continued. “I try to just remember that I was lucky I got to shake his hand and tell him that I pray for him every day because I did and I do.”

Vance offered condolences to Catholics around the world in light of Pope Francis’ death.

“We’re very saddened by it,” he said. “Our condolences to Catholics all over the world, but especially [those] back home who love and honor the Holy Father.”

Stephanie Gabaud receives a blessing from Pope Francis at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Sept. 24, 2015. / Credit: EWTN/screenshot

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 23, 2025 / 15:51 pm (CNA).

Among the people throughout the world remembering Pope Francis in a special way this week are three Americans who shared extraordinarily personal moments with him during his apostolic visit to the United States in September 2015.

Father Keith Burney, pastor of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in historic St. Mary’s County, Maryland, will never forget the “surreal nature” of serving at the pope’s Mass when he was a transitional deacon finishing his seminary studies at The Catholic University of America.

When Pope Francis celebrated Mass for more than 25,000 people at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Burney served as the deacon of the Eucharist, preparing the chalice with the wine and water for the Holy Father.

Burney raised the chalice of the blood of Christ as Pope Francis raised the body of Christ.

“I would have never dreamed of it,” Burney told CNA.

He recalled that the Holy Father was “not feeling well” during his visit to campus. “But,” Burney said, “when it came to celebrate the liturgy and to preach, he kind of came alive in a way.”

“It takes a lot of energy, these big papal liturgies, and he was an elderly man, and I remember noticing him just kind of pouring himself out.” 

Keating family

When Chuck Keating, director of a Catholic high school marching band from Philadelphia, heard that his group of students was selected to play for Pope Francis in the City of Brotherly Love on Sept. 26, 2015, he was ecstatic — but conflicted about one thing. 

He wasn’t sure if he should bring his then-10-year-old son Michael, who has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair.

“We weren’t going to bring Michael because it wasn’t easy to bring him,” said Keating, who serves as head of the fine arts department at Bishop Shanahan High School.

However, thanks to the encouragement of Father Michael Fitzpatrick, the family’s pastor, Keating and his wife, Kristin, decided to go ahead and bring Michael.

“Father Michael just said, ‘Listen, this is one-lifetime opportunity. You just have to have him down there and have him be a part of that moment,’” Keating said. 

When Pope Francis stepped off the plane at Philadelphia International Airport on Sept. 26, 2015, Fitzpatrick’s words proved truer than the Keating family ever could have imagined.

The Holy Father was being driven around the airport but stopped the vehicle and approached the Keating family on the tarmac. The loud environment with cheers and music suddenly went silent.

Pope Francis embraced Michael, giving him a blessing and a kiss on the head. Kristin and Chuck both shook hands with Pope Francis as well.

Keating also called the moment “surreal” and added that every year the family still celebrates the anniversary of the day Pope Francis blessed Michael, who is now 20 years old. 

“It was just a great experience,” Keating told CNA. He added that Michael is doing “fantastic.”

‘I went into a trance’

When then-17-year-old Stephanie Gabaud met Pope Francis, he gave her a blessing that she says healed her.

Gabaud, who has had spina bifida since birth, was recovering from back surgery prior to Pope Francis’ visit on Sept. 24, 2015, and didn’t know if she would be able to attend his vespers service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. 

But to her excitement, she was cleared to attend the event by her surgeon the day before the pope’s visit.

At the time of the service, Gabaud was still experiencing discomfort from the surgery, which took a rod out of her back that was causing an infection. The plan was for the rod to later be replaced because her doctor said Gabaud would not survive without it.

“It was a very difficult time in my life,” Gabaud told CNA.

But after she encountered the Holy Father, something changed.

As Pope Francis processed into the cathedral toward the altar, Gabaud said he saw her and headed toward her. “So I put my arms up and gave him a hug.”

The Holy Father made the sign of the cross on her forehead and embraced her.

“He told me to pray for him, which I am still doing.” In return, Gabaud, calling Pope Francis by his Spanish name, saying to him: “Papa Francesco, pray for me.”

Following the blessing, Gabaud asked Pat Tursi, CEO of Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center — where Gabaud is a full-time resident, serving as international spokesperson and a volunteer for the center — if she could sit in Tursi’s lap.

“And then all of a sudden, I immediately closed my eyes and just went into a trance,” Gabaud said.

“It was something of the Holy Spirit. I don’t know how you describe it, but it was something that I’ve never seen her do in all my years,” said Tursi, who has known Gabaud since she was 2 years old.

In a follow-up appointment with Gabaud’s doctor, he made the decision not to replace any rods in her back.

“He said there was a 100% chance that I would not survive without the rods. But look at me today,” she said.

In March 2023, Gabaud was able to travel to the Vatican and met again with Pope Francis. 

(The video of Gabaud’s 2015 blessing is below and can be seen at the 33:37 mark.)

Long lines of mourners, many waiting more than four hours under the hot Roman sun, wound around St. Peter’s Square on the first day of viewing for Pope Francis on April 23, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 23, 2025 / 14:37 pm (CNA).

Thousands of Catholics said their last goodbyes and paid their respects to Pope Francis on Wednesday as the late pope lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Long lines of mourners, many waiting more than four hours under the hot Roman sun, wound around St. Peter’s Square on the first day of viewing on April 23. Vatican officials indicated that they might need to extend the basilica’s hours past midnight to accommodate the large turnout. 

Many in attendance had initially come to Rome to celebrate Easter or witness the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, only to find themselves part of an unexpected historic farewell.

“The crowds are just packed… but overall it was beautiful,” said Arianne Gallagher-Welcher, a pilgrim from Washington, D.C. “You could feel how special it was for everyone … a really nice chance to say goodbye to Pope Francis.”

Gallagher-Welcher reflected on the significance of the Jubilee Year of Hope. “We were here during the Jubilee in 2000,” she said. “To thank and celebrate the life of Pope Francis during the Jubilee Year of Hope is just an incredible gift.”

As people slowly made their way to the basilica, some prayed the rosary while others sang hymns. Once inside, people were able to spend a moment in prayer before the late pope’s open casket in front of the main altar and the tomb of St. Peter. 

Clad in red vestments, a bishop’s miter on his head, and a rosary clasped in his hands, Francis was watched over in silence by four Swiss Guards standing vigil.

“As we got closer to the body of our Holy Father, it was very emotional to see him,” reflected Father Fabian Marquez of the Diocese of El Paso, Texas. “But I’m so grateful for all the great things he did for the community, bringing people together.” 

“And my personal prayer was that now he intercedes for the next Peter to come so that the next Peter can lead us where the Lord desires us to go,” Marquez said.

Marquez had traveled to Rome with fellow priests for the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Their journey took on new meaning with the pope’s death.

“Everything changed since the news that our Holy Father had passed,” Marquez said. “We decided to continue to come … just to be here with him.”

“We were able to pray the rosary with the people and it was very emotional just to be here outside of the basilica today … when they transferred the body from Santa Marta to the basilica,” he said.

Monsignor Humberto Gonzalez of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America recalled a personal memory of Pope Francis in 2020, when he concelebrated a Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe together with the pope after the loss of his mother. 

“Before the Mass, he called me to the sacristy. He gave me a hug, he gave me comfort, and he said: ‘I will offer the Mass for Carlina, for your mother.’ I carry that in my heart.”

Gonzalez paid his final respects with other Vatican officials inside the chapel in the pope’s Vatican residence before Francis’ body was transferred in a solemn procession into St. Peter’s Basilica. 

The public viewing in the basilica will continue for three days, concluding Friday at 7 p.m. when the casket will be sealed ahead of the funeral.

The monsignor said that for him it was an opportunity to say: “Thank you, Holy Father. Thank you for all the good, thank you for the gift that was your person. Thank you for giving yourself completely to humanity and for giving us so many teachings.”

The significance of the moment extended even to non-Catholics. Jai Agarwal, a 21-year-old American student at John Cabot University in Rome, joined the line to pay his respects. 

“He would always advocate for peace,” Agarwal said. “He’s one of the few people that just had genuine empathy.”

Raissa Fortes, a pilgrim from Brazil, had originally traveled to Italy for the canonization of Acutis but changed her plans upon hearing of the pope’s death. 

“It’s a mix of feelings,” she said. “I’m sad, but at the same time, I’m happy to be here in this special moment.”

She added: “When I received the sad news about Pope Francis, my husband and I decided to come earlier to say a last goodbye and be part of this moment with Pope Francis.”

Youngsters surrounding Pope Francis in the popemobile. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 23, 2025 / 12:55 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis, baptized as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, celebrated his patron saint’s feast day every April 23. The patron saint’s day of the pope is a holiday at the Vatican and Pope Francis usually celebrated it with acts of charity toward people in need.

The patron saint of the late pontiff, St. George, is credited with protecting the papacy and is also known as an intercessor in the fight against evil.

Pope Francis was known to take every opportunity to celebrate special occasions with the poorest, as was also the case on his birthday, when he often invited hundreds of them to dine with him at the Vatican.

In 2018, the Holy Father surprised the world with his unusual gesture of distributing ice cream to the poor of Rome to celebrate St. George’s feast day.

On that occasion, with the help of the apostolic almoner, nearly 3,000 servings of ice cream were distributed in the city’s soup kitchens. This initiative set the tone for subsequent celebrations of St. George’s feast day.

In 2019, Pope Francis gave a 44-pound chocolate Easter egg to the poor who came to the Caritas soup kitchen in central Rome.

In 2021, Pope Francis visited the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican to greet the more than 600 poor people waiting their turn to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of the Vatican’s solidarity vaccination campaign.

It was common for Pope Francis to make these kinds of gestures to the poor of the city of which he was bishop. In fact, a few years ago he ordered the construction of showers in St. Peter’s Square as well as a health care center and shelters.

The Holy Father also invited those in need to visit the Vatican Museums, gave them a gala dinner near Piazza Bernini, and even established a special day for them, the World Day of the Poor.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.