- Do not be afraid of 'necessary changes' in the Church, Cardinal Reina preaches (Vatican Press Office)
Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome, celebrated the third of the novendiali Masses for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis (booklet, video).“In these days, Rome is a people that mourns its Bishop, a people together with other peoples who have waited in line, finding a place within the city in order to weep and pray, like sheep without a shepherd,” he preached in St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of April 28.The 54-year-old cardinal—whose rise in the hierarchy in recent years has been meteoric—added: And this cannot be the time for maneuvers, tactics, caution—not a time to follow the instinct to turn back, or worse, to retaliate or seek alliances of power. What is needed is a radical willingness to enter into God’s dream, entrusted to our poor hands ... Faced with the proclamation of this newness, we cannot give in to that mental and spiritual indolence that binds us to the forms of experience of God and ecclesial practices known in the past, and which we would wish to be repeated ad infinitum, subjugated by the fear of the losses attached to necessary changes ... To seek a shepherd today means above all to seek a guide who knows how to manage the fear of losses faced with the needs of the Gospel ... To seek a shepherd who confirms that we must walk together, forming ministries and charisms; we are a People of God constituted to proclaim the Gospel. - Focus on Christ and be open to the Holy Spirit, abbot tells cardinals (CWN)
Abbot Donato Ogliari, OSB—one of two prelates selected to preach meditations to the College of Cardinals before the election of the new Pope—preached his meditation during the cardinals’ sixth general congregation on April 29. - Cardinals discuss social issues, individualism, relativism (CWN)
On April 29, members of the College of Cardinals met in their sixth general congregation since Pope Francis’s death. 183 of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals—including 124 of the cardinal electors—were in attendance, the Vatican newspaper reported. - Papal conclave will begin May 7 (Vatican News)
The conclave that will elect a successor to Pope Francis will open on Wednesday, May 7. The opening of the conclave—following the traditional nine days of mourning for a deceased Pontiff—was officially set by the College of Cardinals, meeting in a general congregation on April 28. Almost 200 cardinals have now gathered in Rome to participate in the daily meetings leading up to the conclave. The conclave will open on May 7 with the celebration of a Mass Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice, followed by a procession into the Sistine Chapel, where the cardinal-electors will hear two meditations and take an oath to preserve the secrecy of the proceedings. If time allows, the cardinals may take their first vote on Wednesday afternoon. On any following days of the conclave, the schedule will allow for two votes in the morning, then two more in the afternoon session, until a candidate receives the two-thirds support required for election. - Vatican holds Jubilee event for persons with disabilities (Our Sunday Visitor)
The two-day Jubilee of People with Disabilities began on April 28 as part of the 2025 jubilee year.Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who served as one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization until the Pontiff’s death, celebrated Mass for participants in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.“I think it was a gift to be at this Mass,” said a father of children with Down syndrome. “People with disabilities don’t always experience that. Sometimes they experience the Church as their home. But as often as not, they experience marginalization in the Church or isolation in the Church, not necessarily by malice, but just a failure to appreciate the kinds of accommodations that they need.” - 'Believe you can face the adventure of a lifelong love,' Pope Francis wrote in youth catechism preface (Vatican News (Italian))
In a previously unpublished preface to the youth catechism YOUCAT: Love forever, Pope Francis compared love to a tango and encouraged youth to “believe that you can face the adventure of a lifelong love.”The Pope asked rhetorically, “How many marriages today fail after three, five, seven years? Wouldn’t it be better, then, to avoid pain, to only touch each other as in a passing dance, to enjoy each other, to play together, and then leave each other?”He responded, “Don’t believe it! Believe in love, believe in God, and believe that you can face the adventure of a lifelong love.” - Vatican publishes list of heads of state, other members of delegation at papal funeral (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Over 160 nations and international organizations sent delegations to Pope Francis’s funeral. The Vatican newspaper published a list of the members of the delegations in its April 29 edition.The list includes heads of state, reigning sovereigns, heads of government, ambassadors, and other officials. - Late Pope 'respectfully approached the conscience of all,' papal preacher writes (Avvenire (Italian))
Father Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap—appointed preacher to the papal household last year—reflected on the legacy of Pope Francis in an article for the Italian bishops’ newspaper.Pope Francis “placed the Gospel at the center of all his reflections and placed the face—and the mystery—of each person before any other theological or moral evaluation,” Father Pasolini wrote. “By respectfully approaching the conscience of all, Pope Francis has not tried to impose new certainties. He contented himself with reopening the fundamental question: if God were truly the Father of all, what would be left for us to do?” - At least 200,000 attend Pope Francis's funeral Mass (CNS)
A large crowd—estimated at 200,000 by Catholic News Service, and at 250,000 by the Vatican newspaper—attended the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square on April 26 (booklet, video). The leaders of more than 80 countries, and representatives from some four dozen others, were in attendance.Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, preached the homily.“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,” he preached. “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”Cardinal Re concluded: 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. - Reject the 'immoral possession of nuclear weapons,' Vatican diplomat urges (Holy See Mission)
In a statement for a UN committee meeting on nuclear non-proliferation, a leading Vatican diplomat said that “my Delegation notes with deep concern that many States have turned to extensive rearmament,” including “the expansion and modernization of nuclear arsenals.”“This troubling development, together with the increasingly strident rhetoric associated with it, are regrettably contributing to a deteriorating climate of mistrust and threat, and dangerously jeopardizing international peace and security,” said Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.“There is a clear need to go beyond nuclear deterrence, to move past this illusory logic and to embrace the path of comprehensive disarmament, while definitively rejecting not only the use, but also the immoral possession of nuclear weapons,” he added in his statement, delivered on April 29. - Cardinals settling details of conclave schedule (Vatican Press Office)
Meeting on April 29 in the 6th general congregation after the death of Pope Francis, the College of Cardinals continued to arrange details of the conclave that will begin on May 7. The April 29 session also saw twenty cardinals speak about the needs of the universal Church—a topic that will dominate discussion as the conclave nears. The camerlengo and his three assistants* presented a list of the people who will be required to swear an oath of secrecy before the conclave, including all the cardinal-electors and the support staff that will serve them during the length of the conclave. That staff will include priests who will be available to hear confessions in various languages, doctors and nurses, cooks and cleaning staff, and security personnel. * Three cardinals serve as assistants to the camerlengo in handling details of preparation for the conclave. Contrary to some media reports, these cardinal-assistants are chosen by lot, rather than by vote; they serve only for three days, after which another trio of cardinal-assistants is chosen. - USCCB publishes novena in memory of Pope Francis (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published, in English and in Spanish, a novena in memory of Pope Francis.The novena “has been prepared to help pray for the Pope during the time of mourning,” the introduction notes. - 200,000 in attendance at Mass as Cardinal Parolin emphasizes late Pope's teaching on mercy (Vatican Press Office)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness from 2013 until Pope Francis’s death, presided at Mass in St. Peter’s Square on April 27, the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) (video). An estimated 200,000 people, including participants in the Jubilee of Teenagers, were in attendance at the Mass, on the second of nine days of Masses in the late Pontiff’s memory. In a separate article, the Vatican newspaper reported that 200,000 teenagers took part in the jubilee.“It is precisely the Father’s mercy, which is greater than our limitations and calculations, that characterized the Magisterium of Pope Francis and his intense apostolic activity,” Cardinal Parolin preached. “Likewise the eagerness to proclaim and share God’s mercy with all—the proclamation of the Good News, evangelization—was the principal theme of his pontificate.”He added: It is important to welcome as a precious treasure this principle on which Pope Francis insisted so much. And—allow me to say—our affection for him, which is being manifested in this time, must not remain a mere emotion of the moment; we must welcome his legacy and make it part of our lives, opening ourselves to God’s mercy and also being merciful to one another ...Only mercy heals and creates a new world, putting out the fires of distrust, hatred and violence: this is the great teaching of Pope Francis. - Papal video to youth: 'Learn to listen to others' (Vatican News)
An Italian magazine, Oggi, has released a video of Pope Francis that was recorded on January 8.“Dear boys and girls, one of the most important things in life is to listen—to learn how to listen,” the late Pope told members of Listening Workshops, an Italian initiative. “When someone speaks to you, wait for them to finish so you can really understand, and then, if you feel like it, respond. But the important thing is to listen.” - Cardinals discuss evangelization, interfaith relations, abuse; new cardinal assistants chosen (CWN)
On April 28, members of the College of Cardinals met in their fifth general congregation since Pope Francis’s death. Over 180 of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals were in attendance, the Vatican newspaper reported. - Cardinals issue thanks to leaders who attended papal funeral (Vatican Press Office)
The College of Cardinals has issued a statement of thanks to the religious and political leaders who attended the funeral of Pope Francis. “Their presence was particularly appreciated as participation in the suffering of the Church and the Holy See at the passing of the Pontiff, and as homage to his unceasing commitment to promote faith, peace and fraternity among all the peoples of the earth,” the cardinals said. The College also thanked the public officials of Rome and Italy who cooperated in preparations for the funeral. Finally, the statement acknowledged the large number of young people who participated in the Jubilee for Youth on April 27. Thousands of young people had scheduled trips to Rome for the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, which was postponed because of the papal funeral. Their attendance, the cardinals said, helped to show “the face of a Church alive with the life of her Risen Lord.” - Remember Pope Francis by addressing 'ecological debt,' pontifical academy president urges (Vatican News)
Sister Helen Alford, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, joined other economists and academics in signing “Honoring Pope Francis’s legacy: A call to action for global justice.”“If those who honor him today truly wish to carry forward his spiritual legacy, they could begin by seizing the opportunity of the Jubilee to fulfil one of his major hopes,” the signatories wrote, as they called for Using this moment to establish mechanisms of compensation between the “ecological debt” of wealthy countries and the foreign debt of poorer nations, a burden that has become increasingly unsustainable, worsened by the current global macroeconomic environment of high interest rates and the unequal treatment of debtor nations. - Nearly 35 million attended papal events during late Pope's pontificate (SIR (Italian))
The Prefecture of the Papal Household has announced that 34,953,276 people participated in papal Masses, general audiences, Angelus addresses, and other events during the 12-year pontificate of Pope Francis.The year with the greatest crowds (7,314,350) was 2013, the year of his election; the year with the smallest crowds was the lockdown year of 2020, in which 102,850 attended papal events. 1,682,100 people attended papal events in 2024, and 262,820 during the early months of 2025. - Vatican City issues sede vacante postage stamps (Vatican City State)
The Vatican City State’s Postal and Philately Service has released a series of stamps for the vacant see.The stamps portray the Apostolic See supported by angels, with the words “Sede Vacante MMXXV.” - Vatican newspaper editor writes about Pope Francis's neck (CWN)
In a front-page editorial in the April 26 edition of L’Osservatore Romano, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief reflected on the back of Pope Francis’s neck and the rigidity of the Church and the world.