Report
Pope Francis is dead, calling for peace until the end
On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis' latest Urbi et Orbi message was a warning against wars and for peace: “I express my closeness to the sufferings” of “all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.”
Pope Francis has died. Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced the news during a live broadcast from the Santa Marta house, with these words:
“Dear 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. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the Triune God.”
On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis' latest Urbi et Orbi message was a warning against wars and for peace: “I express my closeness to the sufferings” of “all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.” He turned his thoughts “to the people of Gaza.” He appealed “to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!” He also focused his prayers on the violence and conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan. Then, he railed against the “race to rearmament”:
“Nor is peace possible without true disarmament! The requirement that every people provide for its own defence must not turn into a race to rearmament,” he said.
“I learned with great personal sorrow the news of the death of Pope Francis, acutely aware of the massive void created by the passing away of the guiding light that he always represented for me,” said the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in a video released by the President’s Office. “The death of Pope Francis brings sorrow and tears among Italians and throughout the world. His teaching recalled the Gospel message, solidarity among people, the duty of standing with the weakest, international cooperation, and peace among humanity. Our gratitude to him should be shown by taking up the responsibility to work for these goals, as he constantly did.”
As a sign of mourning, the Prime Minister’s Office ordered the flags on its buildings to be flown at half-mast. At the same time, the same directive was sent to all Italian constitutional bodies, prefectures, diplomatic and consular representations abroad, as well as the armed forces and police forces.
Moving words came from Barack Obama, who wrote on X, posting a photo from his meeting with the Pope: “Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another.”
“Today, Michelle and I mourn with everyone around the world – Catholic and non-Catholic alike – who drew strength and inspiration from the Pope’s example. May we continue to heed his call to ‘never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope.’”
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/papa-francesco-e-morto on 2025-04-21