Pallbearers process with the coffin of Pope Francis during his funeral at St. Peter’s Square, Saturday, April 26, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Apr 26, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).
The wooden coffin of Pope Francis arrived at the Basilica of St. Mary Major just after 1 p.m. local time in Rome on Saturday, completing the solemn procession from St. Peter’s Square through the streets of Rome and bringing an end to the funeral of the late pontiff.
Nearly half a million mourners gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday morning, while crowds of faithful lined the route to St. Mary Major as the late pontiff made his final journey to the basilica he visited more than 100 times during his papacy.
Pallbearers carry the wooden coffin of Pope Francis, marked with a cross, into St. Peter’s Square for the funeral Mass on April 26, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Crowds assemble for the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Elias Turk/ACI MENA
Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli kneels next to the casket holding the remains of Pope Francis during the funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
Swiss Guards stand at attention during the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re incenses Pope Francis’ coffin during the pontiff’s funeral at St. Peter’s Square, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Vatican MediaHundreds of clergy attend the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News
Hundreds of thousands of mourners attend the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Pallbearers process into St. Peter’s Basilica with Pope Francis’ coffin at St. Peter’s Square, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
Cardinals gather as Pope Francis’ coffin passes by during the pontiff’s funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
Mourners gather in the streets of Rome to see the procession of the coffin of Pope Francis, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Elias Turk / ACI MENAPope Francis’ coffin processes into the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Zosia Czubak
Observers gather on rooftops to watch as the coffin of Pope Francis processes to Saint Mary Major in Rome, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Zosia Czubak
Vatican officials seal Pope Francis’ coffin as Cardinal Kevin Farrell looks on during the private burial ceremony at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
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Pope Francis speaks at a Mass and canonization of 14 new saints in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
CNA Newsroom, Nov 16, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis wants dioceses worldwide to shine a spotlight on their “saints next door” every year on Nov. 9.
In a letter released by the Vatican in Italian on Saturday, the pope established an annual commemoration of saints, blessed, venerables, and servants of God in local dioceses worldwide, set to begin with the upcoming Jubilee.
“I exhort particular Churches, starting from the upcoming 2025 Jubilee, to remember and honor these figures of holiness each year,” Pope Francis wrote.
The initiative aims to help Catholics around the world rediscover and maintain the memory of those extraordinary disciples of Christ who have witnessed the presence of the risen Lord and continue to guide the faithful in those dioceses today.
He signed the letter at St. John Lateran on Nov. 9, 2024, the feast day of the basilica’s dedication.
While the pontiff chose this feast day for the yearly remembrance, he emphasized that he was not adding another liturgical celebration to the Church calendar.
Instead, he explained, the pope called on local dioceses to promote appropriate initiatives outside the liturgy or recall these figures within it, such as during homilies.
Called to be holy
Pope Francis connected the initiative to his 2018 apostolic exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, on the universal call to holiness.
The 2018 letter emphasized how sanctity manifests in everyday life through various examples, including married couples living their faith while being open to life, young people following Jesus with enthusiasm, and religious living the evangelical counsels.
“We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case,” the pope wrote in his exhortation: “We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.”
According to the letter released Saturday, episcopal conferences may develop pastoral guidelines for implementing this commemoration.
The Vatican expects millions of pilgrims to travel to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year but also renewed spiritual initiatives in dioceses across the globe.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin. / Claude Truong-Ngoc via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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In Paradisum Deducant te Angeli.