Catholic News

• Cardinals continue talks, preparations for papal funeral (Vatican News)
  At their general congregation on April 25, the cardinals present in Rome—now numbering more than 150—handled the details of preparation for the funeral of Pope Francis, which will take place Saturday. St. Peter’s basilica will be closed at 7 pm on Friday, allowing for the ceremonial closing of the papal casket, with Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo presiding. The basilica had remained open late on Thursday night, and opened again early Friday morning, to accommodate the thousands of people who filed through to pay their last respects.
• 61,000 mourners visit St. Peter's Basilica as Pope lies in state (CWN)
  During the first day that the body of Pope Francis lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, 61,000 mourners filed past his coffin, the Vatican newspaper reported.
• 130 nations send delegations to papal funeral (ANSA)
  130 nations are sending delegations to Pope Francis’s funeral on April 26, the Office of Protocol of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State has announced. Some 50 heads of state and 10 monarchs will be in attendance, according to the announcement.
• Let us be on fire with Pope Francis's love, Cardinal Zuppi preaches (Conferenza Episcopale Italiana)
  Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, celebrated a Mass for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 23. Cardinal Zuppi preached, “Let us give thanks for the gift of this father and pastor, brother, who spent his whole life to the end, with so much evangelical freedom because he was obedient to Christ, without arrogance, choosing the simplicity so important in the life of St. Francis.” “Pope Francis with his whole life became a tireless and credible pilgrim in the name of Jesus, listening to and touching the heart,” the prelate continued. “Today he still asks us to look to the future, to open our eyes to dream, not to be satisfied.” Cardinal Zuppi added: He pointed out and lived joy, he put the words of Jesus, the kerygma, at the center, freeing it from so many glosses, personal and ecclesiastical, that made it ineffective, so much so that it no longer spoke to the heart ... He reminds us to be in joy, as he always indicated in his ministry. Let us take his words and deeds with us, let us let them touch our hearts, let us be on fire with his love.
• Poor to welcome Pope's casket to Santa Maria Maggiore (CNS)
  A group of poor and needy people will welcome Pope Francis’s casket to the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore following his funeral Mass, the Holy See Press Office has announced. “The poor have a privileged place in the heart of God,” according to the press office, as well as “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 continued.
• Francis's tomb made of marble, from the land of his Italian grandparents (Vatican News)
  At Pope Francis’s request, his tomb in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore has been made of marble from Liguria, the Italian region from which his ancestors hailed, the coadjutor archpriest of the basilica said on television. The simple tomb bears the name Franciscus, along with a replica of his pectoral cross.
• Italian prelates, mayors call for international truce on day of papal funeral (L'Arena (Italian))
  Mayors and prelates from Verona, Florence, Assisi, and Lampedusa—four places visited by Pope Francis—called for an international day of truce on April 26, the day of the papal funeral. “A day of peace, a sign of truce, is the truest manifestation of condolences,” stated the appeal.
• Israeli silence on Pope's death seen as sign of tensions (AP)
  The Israeli foreign ministry posted a short message of condolence on X (Twitter) after the death of Pope Francis, but then deleted that message, in what an AP story suggests is an indication of Israeli annoyance over the late Pontiff’s criticism of the destruction of Gaza. “Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing,” was the brief message. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later issued his own quick statement, but will not attend the papal funeral.
• Controversy over Cardinal Mahony's role in papal burial (CNN)
  Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired Archbishop of Los Angeles, will play a ceremonial role in the burial of Pope Francis—a role that has sparked some controversy, since Cardinal Mahony was once relieved of his public ministry because of his failure to respond to sex-abuse complaints. Cardinal Mahony retired in 2011, upon reaching the age of 75. As details of his handling of abuse complaints became public, in 2013 his successor, Archbishop José Gomez, announced that the cardinal would no longer play a public role in the work of the archdiocese. That ban was later quietly lifted, apparently after an intervention by the Vatican. Cardinal Mahony will be one of several prelates chosen to assist at the closing of the coffin of Pope Francis. A Vatican spokesman said that he was chosen because he among the cardinals classified as “cardinal-priests,” he is the senior member available.
• Stop Russian aggression, Ukrainian Catholic leader pleads following missile attack on Kyiv (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
  Following the largest Russian missile strike on Kyiv since last summer, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church denounced the attack as “barbaric aggression.” “I call on religious leaders, heads of state, and public figures across the international community to speak with one voice, to issue a united appeal, and to act together to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine,” said Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. He added: Let us help to silence the weapons on our long-suffering land, to restrain hostilities, and to establish a just and lasting peace. For today, the Risen Christ—our peace—stands among us and breathes His peace upon us. Let us allow Him to work through us. Let us help stop the war. Let us help Ukraine to survive and live.
• German groups rap timing of bishops' guidelines on blessing same-sex unions (CNA (German))
  A group of lay Catholics has protested the timing of new guidelines released by the German bishops’ conference for the blessing of same-sex unions. The Neuer Anfang [“New Beginning”] movement charged that the episcopal conference, which approved the guidelines on April 4, had withheld publication to avoid a Vatican rebuke. “They were probably just waiting for the Pope’s death and the interregnum to make news during a period of weaker ecclesiastical authority,” the group said. Neuer Anfang said that the bishops’ instructions conflict with the Vatican instruction Fiducia Supplicans by encouraging liturgical ceremonies to celebrate same-sex unions. The document “distorts what the Church truly teaches,” the group said. A spokesman for the German bishops denied that the release of the guidelines had been postponed until the papal interregnum, saying that the publication had been scheduled weeks earlier.
• Filipino cardinal: conclave is not political (Licas)
  Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan cautioned against seeing a papal election in political terms, urging the faithful to pray for the guidance of the cardinals rather than campaign for their own favorites. “Creating or sharing campaign videos, even with good intentions, risks turning a sacred discernment into a worldly spectacle,” Cardinal David said. “It may inadvertently pressure or politicize the conscience of the electors, and distract from the silence and prayer needed to truly hear the voice of the Spirit.”
• Indonesian Muslim leader praises late Pope's humanity, tolerance (Radio Republik Indonesia)
  Following the passing of Pope Francis, an Indonesian Muslim leader, Haedar Nashir, said, “We have lost a prominent Catholic leader who dedicated his life to promoting religious humanity, tolerance, and compassion, as well as to upholding peace worldwide.” The Southeast Asian nation of 282 million (map), the world’s fourth most populous, is the largest Muslim-majority nation. The nation is 78% Muslim, 13% Christian (3% Catholic), and 2% ethnic religionist; Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in 2024.
• Vatican newspaper pays tribute to Church's efforts to save Genoa's Jews during Holocaust (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
  The Vatican newspaper devoted a full page in its April 24 edition to the Church’s efforts to save Jews in Genoa during the Holocaust. (April 24 was Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day.) Drawing on archival research, historian Sergio Favretto discussed the collaboration between Cardinal Pietro Boetto, SJ, leading officials of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, and others, in order to help Jews make their way to Switzerland. “The Boetto model highlights a series of courageous moves that are based on a constant relationship and a close correspondence with the Secretariat of State of Pius XII,” Favretto wrote, “with Cardinal [Luigi] Maglione, with Msgr. Montini and Msgr. Tardini; as well as with Archbishop Filippo Bernardini,” the apostolic nuncio to Switzerland. Msgr. Giovanni Battista Montini was the future Pope St. Paul VI; Msgr. Domenico Tardini eventually became a cardinal and St. John XXIII’s Secretary of State.
• Irish, US novelists pay tribute to late Pontiff (CWN)
  The Vatican newspaper has published tributes to Pope Francis by Jonathan Safran Foer, an American novelist, and Colum McCann, an Irish writer who lives in New York.
• Notorious Colorado abortion clinic closed (CatholicVote)
  Boulder Abortion Clinic, a Colorado facility that specialized in late-term abortions, has closed its doors. Warren Hern, the outspoken abortionist who had run the abortuary—and had reportedly performed more than 40,000 abortions—had retired in January, but said that the clinic would continue its “sacred commitment” to provide abortions. He has now conceded that the clinic is out of business.
• AP correspondent recalls tense exchange with Pope Francis (AP)
  Nicole Winfield, the veteran Vatican correspondent for AP, offers her personal memories of Pope Francis, including a tense exchange about sex-abuse victims. “He called me ‘la prima della classe‘ or ‘the first in the class.’ It wasn’t necessarily a compliment.”
• Vatican announces schedule for Masses for Pope Francis (Vatican News)
  The Vatican has announced the schedule of principal celebrants for the Novemdiales: the nine days of Masses said for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The Novemdiales begin with the funeral Mass, on Saturday, April 26, at 10 AM Rome time, with Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, as principal celebrant. There will follow (all times are local Rome times): Sunday, April 27, at 10:30 am, in St. Peter’s Square, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, presiding; Monday, April 28, at 5:00 PM in St. Peter’s basilica, with Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of Rome, presiding; Tuesday, April 29, at 5:00 PM in St. Peter’s basilica, with Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of the basilica, presiding; Wednesday, April 30, at 5:00 PM in St. Peter’s basilica, with Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, presiding; Thursday, May 1, at 5:00 PM in St. Peter’s basilica, with Cardinal Victor Fernandez, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, presiding; Friday, May 2, at 5:00 PM in St. Peter’s basilica, with Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, presiding; Saturday, May 3, at 5:00 PM in St. Peter’s basilica, with Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Religious, presiding; and Sunday, May 4, at 5:00 PM in St. Peter’s basilica, with Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, presiding. (In this listing, the titles of officials of the Roman Curia are given for purposes of identification. Officially, the mandate of prefects of the Vatican dicasteries ceases with the death of the Pontiff.)
• German bishops issue guide for same-sex blessings (CNA)
  The Catholic bishops of Germany have issued guidelines for pastors giving blessings to couples living in irregular situations, including same-sex couples. “Non-church married couples, divorced and remarried couples, and couples in all the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities are of course part of our society,” the bishops say, adding that any request for a priest’s blessing should be recognized as “an an expression of gratitude for their love and an expression of the desire to shape this love from faith.” The blessing, the bishops’ guidelines state, is given “at the service of the divine-human encounter,” and in “the hope of a relationship with God that can sustain human life.” While not specifying the form that the church blessing should take, the bishops say that it would “express the appreciation of the people who have asked for the blessing, their togetherness and their faith.” The guidelines are a response to the 2023 Vatican document Fiducia Supplicans, which opened the way for church blessings of same-sex couples.
• Cardinals set plans for conclave meditations (Vatican News)
  Meeting on Wednesday morning, April 24, in a general congregation, 113 cardinals began preparations for the papal conclave, and chose the two preachers who will deliver meditations before the voting begins. Father Donato Ogliari, the Benedictine abbot of the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, will deliver the first meditation. He will be followed by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, the former preacher of the pontifical household. The date for the opening of the conclave—probably May 5 or 6—has not yet been settled. As cardinals arrive in Rome, they are joining in the general congregations, which will continue each day until the opening of the conclave. All the cardinals are taking the oath prescribed by the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, for prelates preparing for the conclave.
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