Rome, April 21: “Dearest 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,” , Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words on Monday morning.
Pope Francis, despite severely ill, appeared on Easter Sunday to wish the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for Easter and for the Urbi et Orbi (“to the city and to the world”) blessing, which is the most solemn form of blessing in the Catholic Church, and is reserved for the most solemn occasions.
Dedicated to the holy Roman church, the Pope had a meeting with US Vice President Vance just hours before his passing. He was proclaimed Pope after the conclave when Cardinal Ratzinger, then Pope Benedict XVI, resigned in February 2013, the first voluntary resignation of a pope since 1294.
The church he inherited was suffering from a lot of internal strife. Pope Francis, a simple man of God, did his best to reform it, refusing the splendour that the Papacy was associated with and dedicating himself to the service of the poor, the disenfranchised and the downtrodden.
He leaves the world and the faithful in times of conflict, where he has often tried to be the voice of reason and of peace, appointing a special envoy for the Russia and Ukraine war and calling for a ceasefire and peace in the Middle East.
“I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development,” was the message read on his behalf on Easter Sunday, one of his final public appearances.
In 2021, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Italy, he was one of three leaders Pope Francis received for a personal audience. The meeting with PM Modi, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, went on for over an hour. He shared a warm interaction with the Prime Minister at the G7 heads of State Summit in June 2024 in Bari.
Despite wanting to, he was unable to visit India during his papacy. He elevated George Jacob Koovakad, an Indian Cardinal of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, to Cardinal in 2024 and appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.
The transitional phase after the passing of the Pope is governed by specific rules and traditions established by the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis promulgated by John Paul II in 1996 and updated by Benedict XVI.
The Vatican enters a period of ‘sede vacante’, that effectively means a “vacant seat”, referring to the absence of the Pontiff in the Apostolic See of Rome. Pope Francis had expressed his wish to be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, instead of St. Peter’s Basilica where the pontiffs are normally interred.
He had also simplified the rituals of Papal mourning and last rites. After the mourning period of nine days following the funeral, the Cardinals will meet at the Sistine Chapel for a conclave to elect Francis’ successor, who will decide the direction the Holy Roman Church will take in a period of renewal of the Church and strife in the world.
IANS
