Catholics around the world mourn Pope Francis

From the Vatican to the Philippines, Catholics around the world are spending Easter Monday mourning the death of Pope Francis.

Less than 24 hours before the Vatican’s announcement, he had appeared at St Peter’s Square to greet worshippers on Easter Sunday - one of the most important dates in the calendar for followers of the faith.

The timing of Pope Francis’s death is not lost on Catholics.

“He [God] chose the most beautiful day for the Christian Church - he couldn’t have chosen a better day,” said Father Sergio Codera, a Salesian priest from Spain.

He continued: “It [Easter] is the most important occasion Christians celebrate, when we celebrate that death does not have the final word.

“And it has been this day that God has chosen for Pope Francis to meet him.”

In the Vatican, there is shock from those who saw Francis perform his final public duty.

“It was very shocking - we just saw him yesterday for the Easter celebration and we received a blessing,” one man in St Peter’s Square told the BBC.

One woman who heard his address said: “He took his duty to the people so seriously - even when he was so unwell yesterday, he still came out, he was still part of the Easter mass, he still got to speak to us.”

Church bells have been ringing out across Manila, the capital of the Philippines, where worshippers have gathered in churches to pray and reflect on the Pope’s death.

Around 85% of the nation’s population of 110 million are Roman Catholic, making it the church’s stronghold in Asia.

Among them is Jude Aquino, an altar server who reflected on the Pope’s influence on young Catholics shortly after his death was confirmed.

He told Reuters news agency: “It’s a big hit against the Catholic Church because for the youth like us, he’s such a big role model - a role model whom we follow since he’s a vicar of Christ.”

Catholics in rebel-held Bukavu, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, have gathered at Notre-Dame de la Paix Cathedral to mourn.

Around half of DR Congo’s population is Catholic, the largest such community in Africa.

Pope Francis addressed half a million worshipers in the capital Kinshasa in 2023, becoming the first Pope to visit the conflict-ridden country in more than three decades. During his final address on Easter Sunday, the pope called for an end to violence in the country.

“Pope Francis was a pope who loved our country, the DRC, very much,” Sifa Albertina said outside the cathedral.

“He even decided to come to DRC despite his health condition, to meet the Congolese people and share their difficulties.

“I saw him come to Congo. May God welcome his soul, because the pope really cared about us.”

In Spain, where Catholics make up more than half of the population, three days of national mourning have been declared.

Nuria Ortega, a civil servant from Madrid, said: “I think he was a person that was accepted by all by Catholic and [non] Catholics and I think he was a person that was open to dialogue.”

As the search for a successor to Francis began, student Javier Herratia said the church must become more “humble” and appeal to a young generation.

He continued: “We will have faith in the Holy Spirit and hope that the next Pope is as good as the rest.”

Source: BBC
--Agencies