This morning, people all around the world woke up to the news of Pope Francis’s death. On the occasion of Easter Monday, the Vatican announced the sad news of the Pope’s unfortunate passing.
For the occasion of Easter, hundreds of thousands had traveled to Rome, to be at the Vatican. And a lot of those people were there on Sunday, when the Pope made his last public appearance.
Keep reading to learn more.
On the occasion of Easter Sunday, Pope Francis made a short appearance at St. Peter’s Square to mark the auspicious occasion. Since the Pope had not been in the best of health recently due to a gruelling battle with double pneumonia, the Mass was delivered by a high-ranking cardinal.
Cardinal Angelo Comastri presided over the service in front of tens of thousands of followers of the Catholic faith. Pope Francis appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. He used the moment to wish everyone present “Happy Easter,” and give his blessings to the crowd.
Usually on the occasion, the Pope always delivers a traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”), which this year was delivered by a Vatican archbishop as the Pope himself was in a wheelchair. a
A lot of important topics were touched upon in the Pope’s address, and it has left a profound message behind. He described how there was a “growing climate of antisemitism around the world” and also condemned the horrible situation in Gaza and reiterated his call for a ceasefire.
“I think of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation,” read what would be the pope’s final Easter address.
The address also called for freedom of religion and respect for the views of others, emphasizing that peace would not be possible without this.
“There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others,” the address read. After the address ended, the pope was driven around the crowd in an open-top vehicle.
The pope passed away at 88 years of age. He had been in and out of the hospital for a while. He left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital four weeks ago after he had spent a month there.
After he left, doctors still advised he needed time to recover from the life-threatening illness he had battled.
Due to his diminished health, the pope had missed the majority of Holy Week events for the first time since he was elected as pope in 2013. This included the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum on Friday and Saturday’s Easter vigil at Saint Peter’s Basilica, where he delegated his duties to cardinals.
He also did not attend the foot-washing ritual on Thursday, which is meant to imitate when Jesus Christ washed his disciples’ feet.
On Saturday, however, he did make a brief appearance to greet visitors.
Pope Francis leaves behind a beautiful and enduring legacy. He will be remembered for years to come as a man of integrity and faith.
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