During Pope Francis’s Requiem Mass on Saturday, millions of people from all walks of life, including world leaders, gathered in St. Peter’s Square to say their final goodbyes.
Pope Francis passed away on Monday, April 21, 2025. He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
About 250 Cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, priests, consecrated religious, and laypeople joined Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, in celebrating the Requiem Mass.
Cardinal Re discussed in his homily the many high points of his extraordinary and demanding twelve years of Petrine Ministry, which were characterized by his intimacy with the people, his unplanned activities right up until the end, and—above all—his abiding love for the Church.
We are gathered here in great numbers to pray for Pope Francis, believing that God would accept him into the depths of His love, spiritually joined with all of Christianity. “Remember to pray for me,” Pope Francis would add at the end of his talks and one-on-one meetings.
We now beg you to pray for us, Pope Francis. Cardina Re said, “May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and we ask you to bless the entire world from heaven as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this Basilica in a final embrace with all of God’s people, but also with all of humanity, with that humanity that holds high the torch of hope and seeks the truth with a sincere heart.”
