As they entered the Vatican to participate in a series of meetings leading up to the election of Pope Francis’ successor, several cardinals spoke to the media, emphasizing that they are still mourning the Argentine pontiff — not yet choosing his successor.
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The Marian devotion of Pope Francis
Pope Francis must be remembered for his deep Marian piety. In speaking to a group of young people in Rome on June 29, 2014 — the Solemnity of St. Peter and Paul — he famously said: “A Christian without the Madonna is an orphan.”
How to Watch the Funeral of Pope Francis
Pope Francis’ funeral is scheduled for April 26 at 10 a.m. Rome time (4 a.m. EDT in Baltimore) in St. Peter’s Square, with burial to follow at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major.
Thousands wait hours to pay respects to Pope Francis
After the casket bearing Pope Francis’ body was placed in St. Peter’s Basilica, tens of thousands of mourners lined up to pay their respects.
Real conclaves: They aren’t the thrillers seen in film, professor says
Novels and films that include or revolve around a conclave often include nefarious plotting, or at least politicking, and attempts to wing it when it comes to the rules for electing a new pope.
While holding line on priesthood, Pope Francis promoted women’s roles
Asserting that the Catholic Church needed the gifts and experiences of women, Pope Francis appointed several women to top positions in the Roman Curia, including the first female prefect of a major dicastery, and worked to ensure their contributions were recognized in parishes and dioceses around the world.
Pope Francis’ was a pontificate of personal, practical ecumenism
The pontificate of Pope Francis did not result in breakthrough theological agreements with other Christians, but huge strides were made in personal relations and practical cooperation.
Pope’s life, leadership, placed Latin America at center of the church
As the pope of the peripheries, Pope Francis brought the heart, mind and soul of the Catholic Church in Latin America from what he called the “ends of the earth” to the center of Christendom.
Pope Francis remembered for lasting mark on church’s marriage and family ministry
The impact of Pope Francis’ papacy upon Catholic marriage and family life will be extensively studied, debated and commentated upon in the weeks following his death on April 21.
Pope Francis’ approach to key issues did not fit neatly in U.S. politics, experts say
Pope Francis’ approach to key issues including his concern for the environment, immigration and abortion did not fit neatly into American political ideologies, Catholic political and theology experts told OSV News.
Pope Francis leaves complicated legacy on addressing the sexual abuse crisis
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis, who died April 21 at the age of 88, faced the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, attempting to balance defending the church from criticism while showing compassion toward survivors, with often mixed results.
The history of St. Mary Major, the basilica where Pope Francis will be entombed
This basilica, rebuilt and magnificently adorned over the centuries, has been a rallying point for popes and laypeople, for Romans and pilgrims alike, to venerate the maternity and life of the Blessed Mother.