Category: Diocese of Scranton News

Editor’s note: This is the English translation of the prepared text of the homily, delivered in Italian by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 26, 2025. It is provided by the Holy See Press Office and lightly edited for style.

 

In this majestic St. Peter’s Square, where Pope Francis celebrated the Eucharist so many times and presided over great gatherings over the past 12 years, we are gathered with sad hearts in prayer around his mortal remains. Yet, we are sustained by the certainty of faith, which assures us that human existence does not end in the tomb, but in the Father’s house, in a life of happiness that will know no end.

On behalf of the College of Cardinals, I cordially thank all of you for your presence. With deep emotion, I extend respectful greetings and heartfelt thanks to the heads of state, heads of government and official delegations who have come from many countries to express their affection, veneration and esteem for our late Holy Father.

The outpouring of affection that we have witnessed in recent days following his passing from this earth into eternity tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts.

The final image we have of him, which will remain etched in our memory, is that of last Sunday, Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite his serious health problems, wanted to give us his blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. He then came down to this square to greet the large crowd gathered for the Easter Mass while riding in the open-top Popemobile.

With our prayers, we now entrust the soul of our beloved pontiff to God, that he may grant him eternal happiness in the bright and glorious gaze of his immense love.

We are enlightened and guided by the passage of the Gospel, in which the very voice of Christ resounded, asking the first of the apostles: “Peter, do you love me more than these?” Peter’s answer was prompt and sincere: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!” Jesus then entrusted him with the great mission: “Feed my sheep.” This will be the constant task of Peter and his successors, a service of love in the footsteps of Christ, our Master and Lord, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45).

Despite his frailty and suffering towards the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life. He followed in the footsteps of his Lord, the Good Shepherd, who loved his sheep to the point of giving his life for them. And he did so with strength and serenity, close to his flock, the church of God, mindful of the words of Jesus quoted by the Apostle Paul: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

When Cardinal Bergoglio was elected by the conclave on 13 March 2013 to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, he already had many years of experience in religious life in the Society of Jesus and, above all, was enriched by 21 years of pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, first as auxiliary, then as coadjutor and, above all, as archbishop.

The decision to take the name Francis immediately appeared to indicate the pastoral plan and style on which he wanted to base his pontificate, seeking inspiration from the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.

He maintained his temperament and form of pastoral leadership, and through his resolute personality, immediately made his mark on the governance of the church. He established direct contact with individuals and peoples, eager to be close to everyone, with a marked attention to those in difficulty, giving himself without measure, especially to the marginalized, the least among us. He was a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone. He was also a pope attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the church.

With his characteristic vocabulary and language, rich in images and metaphors, he always sought to shed light on the problems of our time with the wisdom of the Gospel. He did so by offering a response guided by the light of faith and encouraging us to live as Christians amid the challenges and contradictions in recent years, which he loved to describe as an “epochal change.”

He had great spontaneity and an informal way of addressing everyone, even those far from the church.

Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today’s challenges, Pope Francis truly shared the anxieties, sufferings and hopes of this time of globalization. He gave of himself by comforting and encouraging us with a message capable of reaching people’s hearts in a direct and immediate way.

His charisma of welcome and listening, combined with a manner of behavior in keeping with today’s sensitivities, touched hearts and sought to reawaken moral and spiritual sensibilities.

Evangelization was the guiding principle of his pontificate. With a clear missionary vision, he spread the joy of the Gospel, which was the title of his first apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium.” It is a joy that fills the hearts of all those who entrust themselves to God with confidence and hope.

The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open. He often used the image of the church as a “field hospital” after a battle in which many were wounded; a church determined to take care of the problems of people and the great anxieties that tear the contemporary world apart; a church capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds.

His gestures and exhortations in favor of refugees and displaced persons are countless. His insistence on working on behalf of the poor was constant.

It is significant that Pope Francis’ first journey was to Lampedusa, an island that symbolizes the tragedy of emigration, with thousands of people drowning at sea. In the same vein was his trip to Lesbos, together with the ecumenical patriarch and the archbishop of Athens, as well as the celebration of a Mass on the border between Mexico and the United States during his journey to Mexico.

Of his 47 arduous apostolic journeys, the one to Iraq in 2021, defying every risk, will remain particularly memorable. That difficult apostolic journey was a balm on the open wounds of the Iraqi people, who had suffered so much from the inhuman actions of ISIS. It was also an important trip for interreligious dialogue, another significant dimension of his pastoral work.

With his 2024 apostolic journey to four countries in Asia-Oceania, the Pope reached “the most peripheral periphery of the world.”

Pope Francis always placed the Gospel of mercy at the center, repeatedly emphasizing that God never tires of forgiving us. He always forgives, whatever the situation might be of the person who asks for forgiveness and returns to the right path.

He called for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in order to highlight that mercy is “the heart of the Gospel.”

Mercy and the joy of the Gospel are two key words for Pope Francis.

In contrast to what he called “the culture of waste,” he spoke of the culture of encounter and solidarity. The theme of fraternity ran through his entire pontificate with vibrant tones. In his encyclical letter “Fratelli Tutti,” he wanted to revive a worldwide aspiration to fraternity, because we are all children of the same Father who is in heaven. He often forcefully reminded us that we all belong to the same human family.

In 2019, during his trip to the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis signed “A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” recalling the common fatherhood of God.

Addressing men and women throughout the world, in his encyclical letter “Laudato Si'” he drew attention to our duties and shared responsibility for our common home, stating, “No one is saved alone.”

Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions. War, he said, results in the death of people and the destruction of homes, hospitals and schools. War always leaves the world worse than it was before: It is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone.

“Build bridges, not walls” was an exhortation he repeated many times, and his service of faith as successor of the Apostle Peter always was linked to the service of humanity in all its dimensions. Spiritually united with all of Christianity, we are here in large numbers to pray for Pope Francis, that God may welcome him into the immensity of his love.

Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and meetings by saying, “Do not forget to pray for me.”

Dear Pope Francis, we now ask you to pray for us. May you bless the church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world from heaven as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God, but also embrace humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis was “a pope among the people, with an open heart toward everyone,” said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, as he presided over the funeral of the pope, who died April 21 at the age of 88.

And the people – an estimated 200,000 of them – were present as 14 pallbearers carried Pope Francis’ casket into St. Peter’s Square and set it on a carpet in front of the altar for the funeral Mass April 26.

His burial was scheduled for later the same day in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major after being driven in a motorcade through the center of the city where he served as bishop from the day of his election to the papacy March 13, 2013.

Security around the Vatican was tight, not only because of the number of mourners expected but especially because of the presence of kings, queens, presidents – including U.S. President Donald J. Trump – and prime ministers from more than 80 countries and official representatives from scores of other nations.

Also present were the residents of a Vatican palace Pope Francis had turned into a shelter for the homeless and the 12 Syrian refugees he brought to Rome with him from a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos in 2016.

The Gospel reading at the funeral was John 21:15-19 where the Risen Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” And when Peter says yes, Jesus tells him, “Feed my sheep.”

“Despite his frailty and suffering toward the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life,” Cardinal Re said in his homily. “He followed in the footsteps of his Lord, the Good Shepherd, who loved his sheep to the point of giving his life for them.”

The 91-year-old cardinal told the crowd that the image of Pope Francis that “will remain etched in our memory” was his appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica the day before he died to give his Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) and then to ride in the popemobile among the people who had come to celebrate Christ’s victory over death.

“The outpouring of affection that we have witnessed in recent days following his passing from this earth into eternity tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts,” Cardinal Re said. The Vatican estimated that 250,000 people – many of whom waited in line for three or four hours – filed past the late pope’s body in St. Peter’s Basilica April 23-25.

Within the church, the cardinal said, “the guiding thread” of Pope Francis’ ministry was his “conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open.”

For Pope Francis, he said, the church was a “field hospital,” one “capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds.”

With President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olga Lyubimova, Russian minister of culture, seated near the altar, Cardinal Re said that “faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions.”

‘”Build bridges, not walls’ was an exhortation he repeated many times, and his service of faith as successor of the Apostle Peter always was linked to the service of humanity in all its dimensions,” the cardinal said.

Cardinal Re also recalled Pope Francis’ constant concern for migrants and refugees from his first papal trip outside of Rome to pray for migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, his visit to Lesbos and his celebration of Mass in 2016 on the U.S.-Mexican border.

At the end of the Mass, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, papal vicar of Rome, offered special prayers for the city’s deceased bishop, Pope Francis. Then Eastern Catholic patriarchs and major archbishops gathered around the casket and led funeral prayers from the Byzantine tradition in honor of the pastor of the universal Catholic Church.

Sister Norma Pimentel, a Missionary of Jesus and director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, had knelt in prayer before the body of Pope Francis April 25 and was present for the funeral.

“The funeral of Pope Francis is a very important part of who we are as people of faith,” she told Catholic News Service. “We walk together, we cry together, we work together … doing what we believe is important in our lives as people of faith, and we say farewell together at the end.”

The funeral, she said, is a time “to join him in this last farewell and say thank you: Thank you for being you, for being there with us, and we’ll see you.”

Sister Pimentel is known especially for her work with migrants and refugees, a ministry close to the heart of Pope Francis.

“He was all about making sure that we understood the importance” of welcoming newcomers, she said. His message was: “Please open your hearts. Please care for them. That’s all they’re asking.”

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, also prayed alongside the pope’s body April 25 as it lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. “It was an important moment of confirming the news that I had heard but did not want to believe” — that the pope had died.

Pope Francis “had played such an important role in my life as a mentor, as a teacher,” the cardinal said. “It was really a 20-year friendship.”

“We have many reasons to grieve, but we have every reason to hope,” said the cardinal, who concelebrated the funeral Mass and would be among the cardinals voting to elect a new pope.

Cardinal Tobin said he thought Pope Francis’ lasting legacy would be the call to be “a synodal church,” one where every person takes responsibility for the church’s mission and where all members listen to one another and to the Holy Spirit.

“That kind of church is really necessary to bring to fruition all of his other prophetic teachings,” the cardinal said.

“Without a synodal church,” he said, it will be difficult to put into practice Pope Francis’ teaching on the environment, on dialogue and human fraternity and even on sharing the joy of the Gospel.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – After an estimated 250,000 people had passed by the body of Pope Francis, lying in an open casket in front of the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, the casket was sealed in a private ceremony.

Inside the casket was a scroll that summarized the life and ministry of the pope, who died April 21 at the age of 88.

It noted how, in Argentina, “he was a simple and well-loved pastor in his archdiocese, traveling far and wide, including by subway and bus. He lived in an apartment and made his own dinner, because he felt like one of the people.”

U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, presided over the April 25 prayer service and rite, explaining to the small group of people close to Pope Francis that “we are gathered here to carry out acts of human piety before the funeral Mass of our pope, Francis.”

The prayer service and rituals at 8 p.m., after the public viewing of his body had ended, followed what was prescribed in the “Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis” (“Funeral Rites of the Roman Pontiff”). The rites originally were approved by St. John Paul II, and Pope Francis revised and simplified them in 2024.

A piece of silk cloth was laid over the face of the pope, who was dressed in a red chasuble and was wearing the worn black shoes he always wore.

Inside the zinc-lined wooden casket were placed a sack of coins minted during his 12-year pontificate and a metal tube containing the “rogito” or scroll with a brief description of his life, ministry and pontificate. A copy of the scroll will be kept in the archives of the Office of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies.

Pope Francis died April 21 at 7:35 a.m., the scroll said. “The whole Christian community, especially the poor, gave praise to God for the gift of his service rendered with courage and fidelity to the Gospel and to the mystical Bride of Christ.”

“Francis was the 266th pope. His memory remains in the heart of the church and of all humanity,” it added.

The wooden top secured to the casket was decorated with a cross, the coat of arms of Pope Francis and a small plate inscribed with his name.

The group present for the rite also included: Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals; Roger M. Mahony, retired archbishop of Los Angeles, and ranking member of the order of cardinal priests; Dominique Mamberti, former prefect of the Apostolic Signature and ranking member of the order of cardinal deacons; Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica; Pietro Parolin, secretary of state under Pope Francis; Baldassare Reina, papal vicar of Rome; and Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner.

The Canticle of Zechariah from Luke 1:68-79 was read. It begins, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.” The canticle praises God for his “tender mercy” and forgiveness.

The “rogito” had a brief biography of the late pope, including his birth Dec. 17, 1936, to parents who emigrated to Argentina from Italy, his entrance into the Society of Jesus, his ordination as a priest and his appointment as archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998.

“Always attentive to the least and those discarded by society, Francis, as soon as he was elected” March 13, 2013, “chose to live in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, because he could not do without contact with people,” it said.

The document noted his efforts to promote dialogue with other religions, especially Islam, the major documents he published and his expansion of the College of Cardinals.

“The doctrinal magisterium of Pope Francis has been very rich,” it said. The documents give “witness to a style that is simple and humble, based on openness to missionary outreach, apostolic courage and mercy, careful in avoiding the danger of self-referentiality and spiritual worldliness in the church.”

“Francis left an admirable witness of humanity, a holy life and universal fatherhood,” it concluded.

ROME (OSV News) – It was a busy morning April 25 at the Elemosineria Apostolica, or Apostolic Almsgiving Office, behind the Vatican walls.

As Cardinal Konrad Krajewski was rushing to get his morning coffee before entering the general congregation of cardinals at 9 a.m., he gave directions to Rudolf, once a homeless man and for years a “right-hand man” of the cardinal: “Take rosaries from the warehouse on the ground floor and distribute them in Palazzo Migliori,” a palace-turned-shelter for the homeless right next to the Bernini colonnade.

Gifting Pope Francis’ rosaries to the poor happened not only in Palazzo Migliori but also throughout Rome on April 25, Cardinal Krajewski told OSV News. The rosaries will soon be a historical artifact and memorabilia of Francis’ 12-year pontificate. The next pope will be handing out his own, with his coat of arms, to the faithful.

With the death of a pope, most top-level Vatican officials – including the prefects of dicasteries – lose their jobs, but Cardinal Krajewski, who since 2022 has been prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, is still a papal almoner – a job Francis tapped him for in August 2013.

St. John Paul II’s 1996 apostolic constitution, “Universi Dominici Gregis,” which was revised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 and again just before he resigned in 2013, specified that “the almoner of His Holiness will also continue to carry out works of charity in accordance with the criteria employed during the pope’s lifetime.”

The poor, Cardinal Krajewski confirmed, will also be present on the footsteps of the Basilica of St. Mary Major where Francis will be buried April 26 following the funeral Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Representation of the homeless will be in front of the basilica — at the very last moment before the pope will be laid to rest. They will be there with flowers,” Cardinal Krajewski told OSV News.

The day before the pope’s funeral Cardinal Krajewski and the team from Sant’Egidio Community — an ally in Pope Francis’ charity efforts throughout his pontificate — were trying to distribute as many papal rosaries as possible to the homeless and needy of Rome. The cardinal told OSV News it would be “thousands” of rosaries.

With that gesture Cardinal Krajewski is paying his final tribute to Pope Francis.

“What was extraordinary about Pope Francis was that you could tell him anything,” Cardinal Krajewski said.

“He wanted us to tell the truth, even if it was painful. Because truth will always set us free. He then carried this truth with him and discerned, but he wanted to know,” Cardinal Krajewski told OSV News April 25, when asked about a Francis characteristic he will remember most. He also said Pope Fracis simply wanted to follow the Gospel message.

“Like in today’s Gospel, Jesus invited his disciples to the table, Francis invited everyone to the table, this was his Vatican,” he added as he rushed, along with Polish Cardinal Grzegorz Rys, to join the general congregation of cardinals.

As the cardinal walked out the door, Daniele and Giovanni filled the kitchen of his apartment with bags of bread.

“We know, seeing what is happening here on a daily basis, that the Holy Father has spent so much effort on welcoming, on reaching out to the most unfortunate people, the homeless. We only benefited from his lessons to the world,” Daniele, who only gave his first name, told OSV News.

Both Daniele and Giovanni are beneficiaries of Pope Francis’ dormitory Palazzo Migliori.

For Giovanni, who was making a giant tuna salad in the morning to put onto slices of bread that Daniele was preparing, a question about Pope Francis brought tears to his eyes.

Giovanni is a homeless man from Romania and he helps Cardinal Krajewski in his efforts to feed other people in need.

“My best memory of the pope was at the dinner, when we ate together at the table during the World Day of the Poor, and he asked me some things about my family, how I got here, and I told him about my problems, because I had a job for which they didn’t pay me. And then I landed on the street,” he told OSV News, wiping his eyes.

“But now I stay at the pope’s dormitory in Palazzo Migliori and I also volunteer here, so I’m very happy,” he said.

In other places “we’re sent off with advice: ‘Well, you have to look for a job,’ and here I just have things to do.”

Remembering his personal meeting with Pope Francis, he said: “The Holy Father told me: ‘I pray for you, for your family.’ That was the best memory, because how many times in life it happens that you stand in front of a pope!”

“We were on the square on Easter Sunday to see him. And then we heard he died, we couldn’t believe this. He was like a family member to us. We were so attached to him!” Giovanni said.

Rudolf, from Slovakia, who has a stable job and stands on his own two feet thanks to the help he got from Pope Francis and his almoner, told OSV News: “He died peacefully, he didn’t suffer any more. He said his final goodbye like he wanted to, this is how we will remember him.”

SCRANTON – Faithful of the Diocese of Scranton woke up Easter Monday morning to the news that Pope Francis had passed away during the night at his residence in Vatican City at the age 88 – less than 24 hours after he conferred what would be his final “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on Easter Sunday in Rome.

Though the Holy Father had been hospitalized for a month – beginning in mid-February – for a double lung infection, the news of his death came as somewhat of a surprise, given that since his release from the hospital he continued to make public appearances across Rome up until the day before he died.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant and homilist for a Pontifical Mass of Remembrance in the Cathedral of Saint Peter for His Holiness on Tuesday afternoon, April 22, the day after the Vatican announced his passing in the early morning hours (Rome time) following the Easter Sunday celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord.

In welcoming the many faithful who came to the Mother Church of Scranton to attend the special memorial liturgy, Bishop Bambera stated the Eucharistic celebration for the Tuesday of the Octave of Easter offered an opportunity to “remember in a very special way our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who was called home to the Lord just yesterday.”

The Bishop continued by inviting the congregation to join him “with gratitude in our hearts for the blessing of (Pope Francis’) ministry, for the gift of his life, and for all that he expended on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ.”

In assuming the name Francis for his papal title, Pope Francis set the tone for his papacy by honoring the selfless, simple ministry and way of life of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The beloved Pontiff’s characteristic geniality, always evident through his signature servant leadership and as a champion for the downtrodden and those most in need of God’s mercy, was also reflected in his papal motto, Miserando atque eligendo, meaning “lowly but chosen.”

Among those mourning the Pope’s passing, while honoring his enduring legacy of humble service and welcoming, affable nature – much like a lovable brother, father or grandfather – was Ann Marie Sadowski, a member of Saint Patrick Parish in West Scranton.

“I’m here today because I can’t be in Rome to mourn our Pope. This is as close as I can get,” she said. “Like everyone, I was praying for his recovery and I was so happy to see him on the balcony at Saint Peter’s for Easter Sunday. We all thought he was improving since he was able to be out there to bless the people.”

More than 250 people attended the Remembrance Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

For Donna Wright of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish in Dingman’s Ferry, the Mass for Pope Francis was a fortunate coincidence, since she had made the trip to Scranton for her monthly spiritual direction meeting at The University of Scranton.

“I learned about the Mass on the diocesan website and I just happened to be in the area today. It was a great opportunity to honor our Pope,” Wright remarked. “He really was a Pope for the people — all the people — especially the less fortunate and disadvantaged.”

She continued, “I admired him since he first came out to welcome the people after he became Pope. He was always so humble and down to earth, and I think he was a great example of how to work with those who don’t agree with you.”

In what proved to be an historic election to determine the 266th Successor to Saint Peter, Pope Francis, then as the 76-year-old Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was elevated to the papacy in March 2013 to become the first Jesuit and first native of the Americas to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

His 12-year pontificate began and ended with his trademark humility and earthy demeanor, eschewing the traditional pomp, rights and privileges associated with the role of Bishop of Rome.

Saint Peter Cathedral parishioner Pablo Vizcarrondo shared that he usually attends the 6:30 a.m. daily Mass at the Cathedral, but felt it was important to attend the day’s Remembrance Mass for Pope Francis.

“I feel like there are special blessings by being here today for this Mass,” he remarked, claiming to be “a big fan” of Pope Francis. “I liked his ideas in supporting equality for all, especially for migrants.”

Fellow Cathedral parishioners Burlin and Ann Atanasoff of South Abington Township were “honored to be able to attend the memorial Mass for such a wonderful Pope and man.”

“We are here to pray for his soul, and also to pray for his successor,” Ann said. “It’s a sad day, but also a joyous day because we know that heaven has gained a saint.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Given the late Pope Francis’ care and concern for the poor, a representative group of them has been formally invited to welcome his casket to Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major for burial.

“The poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,” the Vatican press office said in a statement April 24. It was the same “in the heart and magisterium of the Holy Father, who had chosen the name Francis to never forget them.”

“For this reason, a group of the poor and needy will be present on the steps leading to the papal Basilica of St. Mary Major to pay their last respects to Pope Francis before the burial of his coffin,” the statement said.

The College of Cardinals decided Pope Francis’ funeral would be celebrated April 26 in St. Peter’s Square. In his final testament, Pope Francis asked to be buried at St. Mary Major where he frequently went to pray to seek Mary’s help or to thank her for her assistance.

The Vatican said the pope’s casket would be driven to the basilica from the Vatican through the city of Rome. The motorcade is supposed to move slowly so that members of the public along the route can salute him for the final time.

The actual burial is a prayerful rite that will not be broadcast live, said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office.

Pope Francis’ tomb, in a niche in a side aisle of the basilica, is made of marble from Liguria and, in accordance with the pope’s wishes, says simply, “Franciscus.” A reproduction of his pectoral cross hangs above the marble slab.

In his final testament, published by the Vatican a few hours after his death April 21, Pope Francis asked to be buried at St. Mary Major because he had entrusted his “priestly and episcopal life and ministry” to Mary.

“I wish my last earthly journey to end at this very ancient Marian shrine where I would go to pray at the beginning and end of each apostolic journey to confidently entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and to thank her for her docile and maternal care,” he wrote.

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) – Ten years ago, Pope Francis skimmed through cheering crowds at the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia — and when he stopped to kiss one baby girl named Gianna, her family’s life was changed forever.

“Pope Francis’ compassion and humility has left a mark on the world – and especially in our hearts,” Kristen Masciantonio, Gianna’s mother, told OSV News. “We have always and will always keep him in our hearts and prayers.”

The pope’s visit to the City of Brotherly Love was the final stop on his 2015 apostolic journey to the U.S. and Cuba, with pilgrims thronging Philadelphia’s downtown parkway area for a glimpse of the pontiff.

For the Masciantonios, simply being there that Sept. 26 with their daughter, who days prior had celebrated her first birthday, was a grace.

Shortly after her birth in 2014, Gianna Masciantonio – named for St. Gianna Beretta Molla, the Italian pediatrician who prioritized the life of her unborn child in her battle with cancer – had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Baby Gianna had been given only weeks or at most months to live.

She spent eight months in hospice, continuing to grow even amid the grim prognosis, with her family leaning on their deeply held Catholic faith to sustain them.

A glimmer of hope shone on Gianna’s first Christmas Eve, when Dr. Ira Dunkel of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York called to tell the family he didn’t believe the tumor was cancerous. Soon afterwards, doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia performed a 10-hour biopsy on Gianna, which revealed systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma, or JXG.

A brutal regime of intensive chemotherapy and surgeries – 20 over a 15-month period – ensued, with the Masciantonios living day to day and praying the Seven Sorrows rosary with family and friends.

Standing in the late September sunshine amid the papal pilgrims, the family hoped Pope Francis’ presence would infuse them with desperately needed strength for Gianna’s ongoing treatment.

And then, a papal security agent in a crisp black suit swept Gianna up and lifted her to Pope Francis, who bent down from the popemobile to gently kiss her head and bless her.

The iconic image of the pope and Gianna captivated hearts across the world, with media calling the moment “The Miracle on Market Street.” In the months that followed, the tumor began to shrink as Gianna continued treatment.

For the Masciantonios, the papal encounter with Gianna was a sign of divine reassurance, with Pope Francis a “sanctified messenger” reminding them “God has been at our side through this entire journey.”

During the pope’s 2015 Philadelphia visit, the family also met Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, the youngest child of St. Gianna, at a local shrine honoring her mother, who had been named a patron of the 2015 World Meeting of Families.

Today, Gianna Masciantonio is a vibrant 10-year-old, returning to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for annual checkups on her health while enjoying her fourth grade studies and hobbies such as baking, art and spending time with her family and friends.

The Masciantonios have established the For the Love of Grace Foundation, evoking Gianna’s middle name – and the divine reality it signifies – to financially support other families grappling with childhood cancer and rare diseases.

Reflecting on Pope Francis’ passing from this life April 21 and his impact on her family, Kristen Masciantonio told OSV News, “We will be forever grateful for his blessing and for the countless prayers and support that have surrounded Gianna’s journey.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Novels and films that include or revolve around a conclave often include nefarious plotting, or at least politicking, and attempts to wing it when it comes to the rules for electing a new pope.

But “those rules are set in stone,” Kurt Martens, a professor of canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, told Catholic News Service March 12, while at the Vatican to do research.

If something in the rules is unclear, the cardinals can seek to clarify it, “but that hasn’t happened” since St. John Paul II issued his rules for the conclave in the 1996 apostolic constitution, “Universi Dominici Gregis,” Martens said. The document was slightly revised by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 and again just before he resigned in 2013.

“So, things are very clear,” the professor said, “they have to follow everything by the book.”

The rules specify that the cardinals should wait at least 15 days after the death or resignation of the pope to begin the conclave, but they should wait no more than 20 days. As of April 24, a date for the conclave had not been announced.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 when a pope dies or resigns are eligible to enter the Sistine Chapel to elect his successor. But with 135 potential cardinal electors, who have gathered as a group only when the latest were created in December, it cannot be said that they know each other well.

“They have never been in a gathering together other than a formal liturgical celebration,” Martens said. “They have never been in a meeting, in a consistory where they could exchange ideas with the pope and with each other.”

Although there were not quite so many electors, the conclaves that elected Blessed John Paul I in 1978, St. John Paul II in 1978, Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and Pope Francis in 2013 all succeeded in sending up white smoke on the second day of the conclave.

And to be elected pope, a candidate must garner at least two-thirds of the votes.

“The Holy Spirit is the official answer” to the question of how the conclaves conclude so quickly, Martens said. But, in the church’s understanding of how that works, human cooperation with the Spirit is also involved.

The primary reason for a relatively quick election “is because the cardinals are prepared,” he said. “They have done their homework.”

The very first description in canon law of a cardinal’s task is to belong to “a special college which provides for the election of the Roman Pontiff.”

The cardinals know from the day they receive their red hats that electing a pope is a task unique to them. They will have met some cardinals over the years, worked with them as members of Vatican dicasteries and read about others.

But between the death or resignation of a pope and the start of the conclave, all the cardinals – both electors and those over the age of 80 – also meet daily in a general congregation.

There, they handle important church business but also discuss the state of the church and of the world. It is the formal occasion for a cardinal to hone his discernment about the qualities needed in the next pope. And the coffee breaks and mealtimes also help.

The cardinals do not openly ask each other, “Are you a candidate? Shall we elect you?” Martens said, but they pose questions and “they kind of put feelers out and whatnot.”

While the majority of cardinals are being asked to elect a successor to the pope who made them cardinals, it is unlikely they are looking for a carbon copy of the most recent pope.

History shows a trend of cardinals electing a candidate “to correct” some aspect of the last pope’s pontificate, Martens said. That is the source of the adage: “After a short pope, we have a tall pope. After a thin pope, we have a fat pope. After an intellectual, we have more a pastoral person.”

Another characteristic of the conclave, and even of the general congregation meetings, is the vow of secrecy binding all participants.

Martens said the concern for secrecy, affirmed and reaffirmed by recent popes when revising the conclave rules, is because the church wants to ensure “the election of the Roman Pontiff is free from external interference, both from pressure groups in the church as well as from political actors,” as has happened throughout history.

But, he said, today there are other ways people try to influence the outcome, particularly with websites and social media.

“There are people who are putting information out there that is not just information, but that is a way to influence potential cardinal electors,” he said. When the information provided is “colored in one way or another,” focusing on the authors’ key concerns or interpretations of Catholic orthodoxy, “technically speaking that falls under the conclave rules that forbid that you try to influence a future conclave.”

“The cardinals have to be free of any pressure, be it political pressure, be it pressure from civil governments, be it pressure from groups within or outside the church,” Martens said.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – After the casket bearing Pope Francis’ body was placed in St. Peter’s Basilica, tens of thousands of mourners lined up to pay their respects.

The open casket was transferred April 23 from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the pope had lived, to the basilica.

As the day progressed, two lines – one to the right of the basilica, the other circling around the left – formed. Moving at a snail’s pace, the lines converged at security checkpoints underneath the colonnade around St. Peter’s Square before joining as one massive line heading through the Holy Door and turning toward the central nave.

Waiting times varied, with some told to expect a three- or four-hour wait, while some people leaving the basilica had said it had taken nearly five hours.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said that in the first 24 hours viewing was open to the public, that is as of 11 a.m. April 24, more than 50,000 people paid their respects to Pope Francis, who died April 21.

The Vatican had originally announced that the basilica would close at midnight April 23-24. However, given the turnout, viewing hours were extended, with the basilica finally closing for 90 minutes at 5:30 a.m.

By April 24, coordination efforts with Rome police and civil protection agencies seemed more streamlined. Toward the north of the basilica, one massive line stretched across Rome’s Risorgimento Square leading to security checkpoints with volunteers sporting neon green vests guiding crowds along the city’s bustling streets.

By 8 a.m., thousands were already slowly making their way to the basilica.

Another line of pilgrims formed heading down the main road – Via della Conciliazione – leading to the basilica while a third line formed at the southern entrance, toward the left of the Bernini colonnade.

Consuelo and Ana, two friends from Valencia, Spain, who were in Italy on a group trip when the pope’s death was announced, spoke to Catholic News Service as they stood in line April 23.

The pope’s death “was a total surprise,” Ana said. “We had booked this flight in January, and when he got sick we were a little concerned, but we did not expect it.”

“His death truly was a surprise,” Consuelo added. “We saw him during Holy Week and even though he looked very weak, we did not expect him to pass away!”

The two friends told CNS that despite the heat from the Roman sun and an estimated four-hour waiting time ahead of them, they wanted to pay their respects.

Consuelo said she was saddened by Pope Francis’ death “because he gave himself to the people. He was a pope who wanted a church that was closer to today’s reality. And it hurts, it hurts (that he is gone). The church should open itself more to 21st-century society and that’s what he tried to do.”

Ana told CNS she was unfazed by the long wait in line and was “willing to wait until the end.”

“Look, I am an atheist, but I still admired him,” she said. “He was an exemplary pope who knew how to open up to new things, to a new society, to new worlds. I am here for this historic moment and taking advantage of the opportunity of being here in Rome.”

VATICAN CITY – To the chanting of Christ’s promise, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,” the mortal remains of Pope Francis were carried into St. Peter’s Basilica by 14 pallbearers.

Thousands of people had made an early morning pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Square April 23 to witness the transfer and pray for the late pope; they erupted in applause when his body, in an open casket, reached the square and again when it reached the top of the basilica steps.

The basilica was to be open until midnight April 23, from 7 a.m. to midnight April 24 and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 25 for visits by the public. Another rite, to close the casket, was scheduled for late April 25. The pope’s funeral was scheduled for April 26 in St. Peter’s Square with burial to follow at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major.

U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, as chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, led the prayer service that accompanied the transfer of the body from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the pope had lived and where he died April 21 at the age of 88.

More than 80 cardinals joined the procession ahead of Cardinal Farrell, who was wearing a red and gold cope, and immediately preceded the pallbearers flanked by members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.

Directly behind the casket were the men closest to the pope in his final days: his nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti; his two valets; and his personal secretaries.

Three religious sisters and a laywoman, whom the pope had appointed to top positions in the Roman Curia, came behind them: Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Raffaella Petrini, president of the office governing Vatican City State; Salesian Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Xavière Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops; and Emilce Cuda, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

The basilica’s bell-ringer sounded the death knell as the procession began.

To the singing of Psalms, beginning with “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23), the procession with the casket went into St. Peter’s Square amid the public and then up the central ramp – where Pope Francis would ride in the popemobile – and into the church.

Inside the basilica, the choir and assembly chanted the Litany of Saints and then “Subvenite Sancti Dei,” which begins with the petition: “Saints of God, come to his aid. Hasten to meet him, angels of the Lord. Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.”

Pope Francis’ body, in a zinc-lined wooden casket covered in red fabric, was placed before the main altar on a low platform cut at an angle so that people coming to pay their respects could see his face.

Cardinal Farrell blessed the pope’s body with holy water and incense and led those assembled in praying the Lord’s Prayer.

Removing their red zucchettos, the cardinals bowed before the coffin, made the sign of the cross and left the basilica. They were followed by bishops, both those who work at the Vatican and those who head dioceses, then hundreds of priests and religious and top Vatican lay employees.

Mary Frances Brennan, who teaches at Kennedy Catholic High School in Seattle, was in the front row in St. Peter’s Square.

She said she had learned the pope had died just a few hours before her flight to Rome was scheduled to leave.

“It was devastating,” she said. “We really wanted to see the pope.”

“He’s my pope,” she said. “I love him and want to honor him.”

Additionally, Brennan said, “now all the people back home have a contact here and can see this through my eyes.”

Waiting in line later to enter the basilica, Adjani Tovar from Mexico City told Catholic News Service that Pope Francis “was a very disruptive pope: As a Jesuit, a true Jesuit, he naturally had a closer connection with people, especially young people.”

“He addressed topics that had been off-limits in the Catholic Church for a long time, and he’s going to be remembered as a turning point for all the openness he showed to different communities, for his focus on inclusion, his relationships with heads of state, and his constant calls for peace,” Tovar said.