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LAST UPDATE | 21 Apr
POPE FRANCIS WAS mourned at Easter Monday masses around the world today, following his death this morning aged 88.
President Michael D Higgins expressed his “profound sadness” on receiving the news and said Pope Francis had, in the course of his papacy, spoken out on “the vital issues of our time”.
A public prayer service was held at St Peter’s Square this evening.
Updates came from Eoghan Dalton this evening and, earlier, Daragh Brophy and Diarmuid Pepper.
Tánaiste Simon Harris has been among those paying tribute to Pope Francis.
He described Francis as a “remarkable figure who embodied compassion, humility, and service”.
Harris said that Francis’s “commitment to justice, peace, and human dignity touched millions”.
“Through his advocacy for the poor, his calls for interfaith dialogue, and his focus on environmental issues, he was a beacon of hope and a voice for the voiceless.
“He urged us to care for the Earth as a moral responsibility, integral to the Christian faith.”
Harris added that Francis “worked to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, promoting reconciliation, unity, and compassion over division”.
“His 2018 visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families was particularly significant, inspiring hope and renewal within the Church,” said Harris.
“His emphasis on mercy, healing, and reconciliation continues to resonate in our efforts towards addressing the challenges of the past and building a more inclusive future.”
Harris added that Francis “bore his illness with great dignity and courage” and said many people in Ireland and across the world will continue to “find strength in his message of hope, mercy, and compassion”.
President Higgins noted Francis’s 2016 encyclical Laudato Si’, in which Francis “called upon us all to face the urgent challenge of protecting our common home, to accept the challenge of bringing the whole human family together in cooperative search of a sustainable and integral form of living”.
Higgins met with Francis five times over the course of his Papacy and hosted him at Áras an Uachtaráin during the World Meeting of Families in 2018 in Ireland.
“During his visit to Ireland, Pope Francis spoke of the scandal of child abuse, including in the Church, and its consequences for victims and families,” said Higgins.
“On such matters, and on others such as attitudes towards women and those of the LGBTQ+ community within the Church, Pope Francis sought to play a positive role.
“I recall at the end of our meetings he would say as to his work on such issues, ‘it is very difficult’, as he asked for and offered prayers. It is important that the steps he took are built upon as they constitute a source of hope in the years to come.”
In paying tribute to Pope Francis’ legacy, may we all reflect on the ethical approach that is necessary to tackle the many vital issues, including the serious danger of what he termed ‘the globalisation of indifference’, to which he drew the attention of office holders and their publics.”
Pope Francis opted not to meet with US Vice president JD Vance for an official meeting on Saturday, instead sending Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
“There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation,” said the Vatican, “especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners.”
Francis had publicly rebuked Vance for his administration’s treatment of migrants and refugees before his hospitalisation in February.
However, Francis met with Vance for a few minutes yesterday.
This morning, Vance said: “My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.
“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.
“But I’ll always remember him for the homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul.”
Archbishop Eamon Martin has said Pope Francis was “aware of the fact that the Irish church had had its difficulties, and that the answer to many of the Irish church’s problems were to become a less harsh, more merciful church, and a church in which people would be listened to. And he spent a huge amount of time listening.”
He described how Francis did mention that he would, in certain circumstances, possibly resign, but that he felt this was a task given to him until the end of his life.
“He was very determined. You might even say stubborn, but because of that, he was a free man,” said Archbishop Martin.
Martin also spoke of Francis’s interest in Ireland and how he stayed in Dublin in Milltown Park as a young Jesuit.
“He came to learn English. They say that the only records they could find in Milltown Park was that he asked for 10 shillings in those days to buy a book to learn English, and then he didn’t repay it,” said Martin.
Martin said that wasn’t his style at all and that anywhere he went he insisted on paying his way. For example, he paid for pizza for the doctors and nurses who cared for him during his recent hospitalisation.
Responding to Francis’s passing, former President Mary McAleese said: “Strangely enough, I’m not shocked.
“Yesterday, as I watched him, I said to my husband, I think he looks like a man who might die today.
“I was more shocked that those who were looking after him hadn’t just put him to bed and said to him, ‘I think you need to rest’. He looked to me like a man who was about to spend his last breath.”
McAleese said Francis was “very much beloved by people” and had “great love for the poor and for the migrant”.
“Only a couple of days ago, he was literally dying on his feet and he was in the prison.
“He couldn’t wash the prisoners’ feet, as he has done every year since he was elected, but he was there, nonetheless. His love the poor was absolutely just one of the most extraordinary characteristics of this man.”
Iran has also offered condolences to Pope Francis.
The Muslim-majority country maintains close ties with the Vatican.
“My colleagues have just informed me of the news… I offer my condolences to all Christians around the world,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said at a press briefing.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Francis had always been “on the side of the most vulnerable and the most fragile” and fought for “more justice”.
Speaking during a trip to the Pacific region, Macron expressed his “most sincere condolences to Catholics the world over” after the death of Francis who, he said, had stood for a “brotherly humankind”.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply pained” by the death of Pope Francis, saying that the pontiff had served the poor and offered hope to the suffering.
“Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world,” the Hindu-nationalist leader said in a statement.
“I fondly recall my meetings with him and was greatly inspired by his commitment to inclusive and all-round development.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin hailed Pope Francis’s solidarity with the “poor, the marginalised, and the oppressed”.
“Pope Francis’ long and distinguished papacy was marked by his unwavering commitment to the principles of compassion, peace and human dignity” said Martin, adding that he would be remembered for his “expression of pain and shame” about historic child abuses during his 2018 visit to Ireland.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said that a “great man has left us”.
“He asked the world for the courage to change course, to follow a path that ‘does not destroy, but cultivates, repairs, safeguards’.
“We will walk in this direction, to seek the path of peace, pursue the common good, and build a more just and equitable society.”
Pope Francis “inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
“My thoughts are with all who feel this profound loss,” she wrote on X, adding she hopes his “legacy will continue to guide us all toward a more just, peaceful and compassionate world.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog praised Francis as “a man of deep faith and boundless compassion”.
“He rightly saw great importance in fostering strong ties with the Jewish world and in advancing interfaith dialogue as a path toward greater understanding and mutual respect,” the president said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hailed Francis’s “commitment to peace, social justice and the most vulnerable”.
“I am sorry to hear of the death of Pope Francis. His commitment to peace, social justice and the most vulnerable leaves a profound legacy. Rest in peace,” the Socialist leader wrote on X.
Trócaire has said it is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pope Francis.
“Pope Francis recognised the innate dignity of each person and called out injustices against the most vulnerable people in our world.
“His was a voice of hope and justice at a time when many world leaders focused on narrow self-interest above the common good.”
Trócaire said that Francis’s “contribution to the environmental movement has been immense”.
“In writing Laudato Si’ in 2015, he urged the entire world to come together in urgent dialogue and action for the protection of our common home and ignited a movement for care of the earth across the global Church.
“The world needs more leaders like Pope Francis as we continue to stand up against the many injustices taking place around the globe.”
And here is the video of the moment Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced the news of Pope Francis’s death to the world.
Farrell will now oversee the Church until a new pope is elected.
The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis has died at the age of 88 and issued this statement just before 10am UK time.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 21, 2025
Live updates: https://t.co/sdHGfcrvAu
📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/cih6I8E3Tj
Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, born in Dublin in 1947, is one of the most prominent figures in the Catholic Church.
He serves as the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, a position he has held since 2019.
This role requires him to establish and announce the pope’s death, conduct normal business after the death of the Pope, and conduct the burial and the preparation for the conclave.
In 2020, the pope appointed Cardinal Kevin Farrell as president of the Commission for Confidential Matters and in 2023 Francis appointed Farrell as President of the Vatican City State Supreme Court.
The Eiffel Tower’s landmark illuminations will be switched off tonight in memory of Pope Francis, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said.
City hall is planning to name a site in the French capital after Francis who, she said, had placed “ecology at the centre of spiritual concerns” and had argued in favour of “welcoming refugees”.
A group called LGBT+ Catholics has said it particularly remembers Pope Francis’s remarks that he made while returning from Brazil in July 2013: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”.
“The humility, compassion and respect shown in this statement did not, of course, change Catholic teaching on the subject, but marked an important change in tone from that of his predecessors,” said LGBT+ Catholics in a statement this morning.
“We also drew great encouragement from His Holiness’s warm welcome to us during several Audiences with him at the Vatican, as well as from, for example, his ongoing relationship with the trans community in Rome.”
And here is the video of Pope Francis’s final public appearance in St Peter’s Square following Easter Sunday Mass.
The Order of the Knights of St Columbanus has said Francis’s “legacy will be marked by his unwavering commitment to social justice, environmental stewardship, interfaith dialogue, and a Church rooted in compassion”.
Brother John Murphy, Supreme Knight of the Order, said “Pope Francis brought the light of Christ into some of the darkest corners of human suffering.
“His voice was one of moral clarity in uncertain times, and his example of humility, mercy and joy challenged us all to deepen our faith and widen our hearts.”
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is grieving for Pope Francis who ‘prayed for peace in Ukraine’.
In Francis’s final public remarks, he wrote: “May the risen Christ grant Ukraine, devastated by war, his Easter gift of peace, and encourage all parties involved to pursue efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the death of Pope Francis will be “mourned by those across the globe who respected him as a courageous spiritual leader, a man of strong conviction who stood up for those most marginalised and vulnerable”.
“Pope Francis will also be remembered for standing up for peace and justice in the face of global tension, instability and militarism – including unjust and illegal wars in Palestine, and Ukraine.
“Even while he was in hospital, he maintained almost nightly phone calls to a parish in Gaza City and he was resolute in his solidarity with the people of Gaza.
She also remarked that the papal visit to Ireland in August 2018, as part of the World Meeting of Families at Croke Park, “was an important occasion for both Ireland and the Church”.
“At the Dublin Castle event, clerical abuse survivors, representatives from the institutional Church, government, and civic society, listened to Pope Francis acknowledge past failures and the subsequent hardship, suffering and trauma caused by clerical sex abuse, mother and baby homes, and Magdalene Laundries scandals.
“Pope Francis heard directly of the importance for healing and justice that was rightly expected and deserved by all victims and survivors.
“The papal visit marked the redefined role between Church and State, and how today Ireland balances its rich faith with the realities of a modern, pluralistic society.”
Britain’s King Charles said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of Pope Francis, and that he had been “greatly moved” to visit him earlier this month with his wife Camilla.
“Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many,” said King Charles, who is also the head of the Church of England.
Spain will observe three days of mourning to honour Pope Francis, Justice Minister Felix Bolanos has announced in a televised address.
“We regret the death of a good man and a great pope. Therefore, the government of Spain will declare three days of official mourning,” Bolanos said.
In Spain, historically a deeply Catholic country, “we loved him and what his papacy meant”, said Bolanos.
“With his papacy the Church has started to travel a path which must continue.”
Félix Bolaños realiza una declaración institucional tras el fallecimiento del Papa https://t.co/lMV3eEWs4S pic.twitter.com/jsHQzX4rlf
— 20minutos.es (@20m) April 21, 2025
The Rome Correspondent for news wire AFP, Alexandria Sage, just filed this piece on the scene at St Peter’s Square this afternoon:
*****
A hush reigned over the normally boisterous St Peter’s Square on Monday as the faithful and the curious alike gathered at the seat of Catholicism to mark the death of Pope Francis.
Catholic priests and nuns in groups of threes of fours bowed their heads to pray, twirling their rosaries under the midday sun just hours after the Vatican announced the 88-year-old pontiff’s passing.
Even the groups of tourists, who continued to enter the massive St Peter’s Basilica, appeared quiet and downcast.
“He was the voice of the smallest, the weakest. And up until yesterday he was asking for peace in the world,” Venezuelan seminarian Riccardo Vielma, 31, told AFP.
In the grand, pillar-lined plaza, the yellow and red tulips remained as did the rows of the seats set up for Sunday’s Easter mass, where Francis had saluted the public for the last time.
“We’re really all stunned because yesterday he was here, he did a full tour of the square (in his popemobile),” said Royben Noris, also from Venezuela.
“It was such a great joy for everyone to see him again at St Peter’s Square,” Noris added.
The joyful atmosphere from the previous day has turned sombre, as people made the sign of the cross, wiped tears from their eyes or huddled with their loved ones.
A group of Franciscan friars, recognisable in their brown robes and sandals, leaned against a railing staring at the basilica while a group of young people stood in a circle nearby, reciting an audible prayer.
Photographers and television cameras began setting up at the back of the square, in a preview of the heavy media interest to come as the Church embarks on the process to choose a new pope.
Irish tourist Naoimh Kelly, 44, said she and her son headed directly for St Peter’s after hearing the news in their hotel.
“He was the same as everyone else, he was always about the people, he wasn’t fancy. He was a real humanitarian,” she said.
“I’m from Ireland and the Church has a bad name. But he changed the way people thought. It’s a shame.”
An Italian woman, who gave her name as Nunzia, 63, said she often came to St Peter’s on Sunday to watch the pope preside over mass and give his traditional Angelus prayer.
“People really loved him. Catholics and non-Catholics alike,” she said.
“Mamma mia, it’s really hit me,” she told AFP. “The only thing I could do was to come by here for a moment of reflection.”
Some scenes from photographers at the Vatican, as mourners gather and TV crews set up to cover the pope’s death…
Sunday’s scheduled canonisation of the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint has been postponed to a later date after the death of Pope Francis.
Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, was meant to have his sainthood rubber-stamped in a mass at the Holy See on April 27.
“Following the death of the Sovereign Pontiff Francis, we inform you that the Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis… has been postponed,” the Vatican said in a brief statement.
US President Donald Trump paid his respects in a short post on his Truth Social platform.
“Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”
His predecessor, Joe Biden, said on X that Francis was “unlike any who came before him” and hailed his record of fighting for peace and equity.
In a lengthy post, Biden wrote:
“It is with great sadness that Jill and I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. He was unlike any who came before him. Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time and I am better for having known him.
“For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina and his mission of serving the poor never ceased. As Pope, he was a loving pastor and challenging teacher who reached out to different faiths. He commanded us to fight for peace and protect our planet from a climate crisis. He advocated for the voiceless and powerless.
“He made all feel welcome and seen by the Church. He promoted equity and an end to poverty and suffering across the globe. And above all, he was a Pope for everyone.
“He was the People’s Pope – a light of faith, hope, and love.”
It is with great sadness that Jill and I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. He was unlike any who came before him. Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time and I am better for having known him. For decades, he served… pic.twitter.com/GsE03QNoHj
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 21, 2025
Tonight at 8pm local time, Cardinal Kevin Farrell will undertake the rite of ascertainment of death and placement of the late Pope Francis’ body in the coffin.
The Vatican has said that Francis could be moved to St Peter’s Basilica to lie in State from Wednesday.
But while deceased popes are typically displayed on a raised platform known as a catafalque, Francis said this will not be that case for his ceremony and that he will lie in an open coffin.
Pope Francis died at home in his apartment at the Saint Martha residence in the Vatican, the Holy See’s press service has confirmed.
His cause of death will “probably” be shared with the public on Monday night following the official declaration of his death, scheduled for 8pm in Rome (7pm Irish time).
A public prayer service will take place at St Peter’s Square from 6.30pm Irish time.
I have spoken to the Papal Nuncio in Ireland to formally express Ireland’s sincere condolences and sympathies to him as the Vatican’s Ambassador to Ireland on the passing of Pope Francis. We discussed the Holy Father’s powerful legacy and his impactful visit to Ireland in 2018
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) April 21, 2025
Barack Obama has said Pope Francis “made us want to be better people”.
Sharing a picture of the pair smiling as they shook hands in the Oval Office in 2015, the former US president said:
“Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people.
“In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another.
“Today, Michelle and I mourn with everyone around the world – Catholic and non-Catholic alike – who drew strength and inspiration from the Pope’s example.
“May we continue to heed his call to ‘never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope’.”
Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we… pic.twitter.com/AFI0BEotUO
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 21, 2025
People have been gathering in Pope Francis’s native Argentina to collectively mourn the late pontiff.
Francis was the first pope from Latin America and the first non-European pope in more than a millennium.
The official Vatican website has been updated to mark the fact that Francis is no longer pope.
A post on the site reads “Apostolica Sedes Vacans” – a Latin phrase meaning the seat is now vacant.
The website had a large photo of Francis as the main image on the homepage yesterday, and links to information about his papacy.
A sand artist has created this tribute to the late pope in the Indian state of Odisha.
#WATCH | Odisha | Passing away of Pope Francis | Sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik creates a sculpture at beach in Puri to pay tribute to Pope Francis pic.twitter.com/IXRACxgNyQ
— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2025
President Trump has ordered flags at all federal buildings should be flown at half-mast, in honour of Pope Francis.
He made the announcement at a White House event, flanked by the First Lady … and the Easter Bunny.
Pres. Trump says he signed an executive order to lower federal flags to half-staff following the death of Pope Francis.
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 21, 2025
“He was a good man, worked hard. He loved the world and it’s an honor to do that.”
Follow live updates: https://t.co/kNWFOKzWbX pic.twitter.com/JLTos89ABJ
To give a little more context on why the Easter Bunny was standing alongside Trump as he made those remarks, the President was speaking ahead of the traditional White House Easter Egg roll.
According to the Associated Press, it’s one of the White House’s oldest traditions and dates back to 1878 and the presidency of Rutherford B Hayes, who opened the lawn to children after Congress banned them from rolling eggs on the grounds of the US Capitol.
Melania Trump and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt were among the guests scheduled to read to children at the event, which is being attended by around 40,000 people.
The Easter bunny is a regular guest (see below).
At the same time, there was probably a case to be made that he could have been asked to stay inside for a bit during today’s speech, given the day that’s in it.
Some photos from the Vatican, where that public prayer ceremony is due to begin from 6.30pm Irish time.
This was the scene at the same location yesterday, as Pope Francis made a surprise tour of St Peter’s Square after delivering an Easter greeting.
Pope Francis made his last public appearance to give an Easter blessing to the crowds at St Peter’s Square. pic.twitter.com/4me3V6Folw
— Storyful Viral (@StoryfulViral) April 21, 2025
Earlier today, Catholic primate of all-Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin and Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell led an impromptu prayer service at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh ahead of formally opening a book of condolences for Pope Francis.
One of those who came to pay respects was local Armagh man Patrick Douglas.
He travelled to the Knock Shrine in Co Mayo in 2018 to see Pope Francis just as he had journeyed to Galway in 1979 when Pope John Paul II had visited Ireland.
“It’s just lovely to come up here to the cathedral today,” he said.
“Just to light a candle and say a prayer.”
Claire and Barry O’Neill came to the church with their children, Clara and Ben Og and nephew Conan McGerr.
The family had been away on holiday for a few days in Carlingford, Co Louth and decided to divert to the cathedral on their way home to Moneymore in Co Derry.
“He was a man that changed the world,” Claire said.
“He wanted to make a difference, no matter what you were, to guide everybody, whatever your faith is, just to bring everybody together.
“He was very humble, very empowering.”
O’Neill said it had been an uplifting experience to be in the cathedral on such a day.
“Everybody’s here to pay their respects to a really nice man,” she added.
Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri has said it is his understanding that the papal funeral will take place on Saturday.
The burial of a pope traditionally takes place between the fourth and sixth day after his death – giving a window of between between Friday 25 April and Sunday 27 April.
Our reporter Diarmuid Pepper has been examining the role that Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell is set to play in the coming period, as the Vatican makes preparations for the funeral and, later, the conclave to elect a new pope.
Popes are usually buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, with the body laid in State for people to pay their respects.
However, as Diarmuid reports, Francis had asked that things be done differently for him.
The rosary service is now under way at a packed St Peter’s Square.
In a short update by the Vatican this evening, officials have confirmed Pope Francis died following a stroke and irreversible heart failure.
The Vatican released the death certificate for Francis in the past few minutes.
It came after months of ill health for the Argentine and a lengthy hospitalisation.
The written wishes for the late pontiff’s burial have been published by the Vatican, in which Francis instructs that he be laid to rest in a “simple” tomb in a basilica in Rome.
He explained that the sanctuary of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major was where he “would always stop to pray at the beginning and end” of every visit abroad.
“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,” Francis said in the spiritual testament, dated 29 June 2022.
“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,” he said.
“The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.”
Some more details now from the death certificate of Pope Francis that the Vatican released earlier this hour.
Pope Francis died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure according to the document.
Francis died at 7:35 am (5:35 am Irish time) in his apartment at the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. He died of “cerebral stroke, coma, irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse”, the death certificate said.
The pontiff had already been affected by a previous episode of acute respiratory failure when he had double pneumonia in hospital, it added.
He had also suffered from arterial hypertension, multiple bronchiectasis and Type 2 diabetes – something that was not previously known.
It was signed by the director of health of the Vatican City State, professor Andrea Arcangeli.
The next pope must be someone “of great inner strength” and inner peace, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales has said.
Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols and fellow cardinal Timothy Radcliffe both appeared to rule themselves out of the role at a press conference in London.
Cardinal Radcliffe, who is 79, told reporters: “I believe the Holy Spirit is far too wise to even think of me for the shortest moment.”
Cardinal Nichols, who will be 80 in November, said he is “too old, not capable”.
He added: “I’ll go quite peacefully.”
But, as Nicholls himself said during the press conference, we’re “jumping ahead a bit”, given the coming days will be focused on mourning Francis.
Mourners are continuing prayers into the evening darkness at a packed St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
Hundreds of Catholics and tourists flocked New York’s St Patrick’s Cathedral to mourn, including worshipper Peter who said “we lost a very good man” whose values were entirely at odds with those of US president Donald Trump.
“We have a president and an administration that’s turning the country in a direction that is in complete contradiction of the values that this pope espoused,” said one 70-year-old, who did not provide his last name.
Reflecting the staunchly Democratic leaning of New York City, local resident Mark Carey said “it was very strange that (US Vice President JD) Vance spoke to him and saw him yesterday, considering their conflict of issues.”
Carey added: “Hopefully he was able to enlighten Vance.”
In the nation’s capital, well-wishers gathered outside the National Cathedral of Washington to mark the passing of Francis.
“He was much more Christian than… for example, the people who are in office now who claim to be Christian, especially our president, whose name I will not say,” said 71-year-old retiree Mark Smerkanich.
The papal apartments have been ceremonially sealed by senior Vatican officials including Dublin-born Camerlengo Kevin Farrell.
Footage released by the Vatican shows the ornate entrance being tied shut, as per tradition in the Catholic Church following the death of a pope.
Irish-born Cardinal and Camerlengo Kevin Farrell overseeing the sealing of the papal apartments following Pope Francis’s death pic.twitter.com/I1YBvM31t8
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 21, 2025
If you’re wondering where this is heading over the next few weeks, my colleague Diarmuid Pepper outlined the process and all it entails for The Explainer podcast earlier this year.
For now, that is all tonight from myself Eoghan Dalton and the team at The Journal on the death of Pope Francis. Good night.
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