News of Pope Francis’ passing came shortly after a busy Easter weekend in Vatican City, during which the pontiff appeared in St. Peter’s Square to give a traditional Easter blessing.
The pope passed away at 7:35 Monday morning in Rome; bells tolled in church towers across that city after the announcement from the Vatican.
Although Pope Francis did not preside over Easter mass on Sunday, he did address the crowd from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, appearing for more than 20 minutes where he imparted the apostolic blessing in Latin.
He then took a 50-minute ride around the square in his open-topped Popemobile, where 35,000 worshippers cheered him on, the pontiff occasionally stopping to bless babies brought up to him.
While Francis did not preside over Easter mass, he did prepare a homily in which he urged believers to “search for Jesus” in their daily lives.
This morning the Vatican’s Camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, made the announcement of the Pope’s passing, saying:
‘Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His whole life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the Triune God.”
Francis was the 266th pope. His papacy lasted 12 years.
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