Holy Saturday is one of those days when the Church, though liturgically silent, speaks volumes through signs. In Poland and Ukraine, one of the most popular and deeply symbolic gestures is the blessing of Easter foods, known as “swieconka,” or Easter basket.

The tradition of blessing Easter food on Holy Saturday is present across Europe — in some regions in Italy, Austria or Greece, but across Poland and Ukraine — from the largest cities to the smallest villages — it’s a “must” even for non-believers.

Entire families make their way to churches, carrying baskets adorned with green sprigs and filled with selected foods. But these are not merely treats for the holiday table — they are symbols of the Resurrection, Christ’s triumph over death, and the faithful’s readiness to celebrate the joy of Easter — both bodily and spiritually.

Polish Franciscan, Father Jan Maria Szewek, emphasized — quoting Corinthians 1, 10:31, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” — that blessing the food during Christianity’s most important feast is an act of gratitude, “not only for salvation and eternal life, but also for the simple, daily gift of nourishment,” the Franciscan said.

This deeply rooted Catholic tradition reflects the essence of the resurrection. Swieconka “is a spiritual practice,” the Polish priest said, “that speaks of hope, renewal and Christ’s presence in everyday life.”

Symbolic lamb 

The origins of the Easter basket can be traced back to early Christian traditions. The lamb — often made of sugar, butter or bread — in Polish Easter baskets symbolizes Christ the Redeemer. 

Bread and its breaking

Next to the lamb, there is always bread — a basic element of life, but also a sacred sign. In Christian tradition, it’s more than just food — explained Father Szewek — it represents Christ in the Eucharist, the one who is broken and shared. 

Eggs and salt

No Polish Easter basket is complete without eggs, traditionally painted or dyed. For Christians, the egg has long symbolized the tomb: hard on the outside, but containing new life within. Salt is also placed in the basket, symbolizing purification and protection, as well as harmony between God and man.

“Salt reminds us of the sacraments of baptism and confession, which Christ instituted after his resurrection,” Father Szewek told OSV News. “These sacraments cleanse, strengthen, and protect the soul — just as salt does with food.”

Greenery

Most Polish and Ukrainian Easter baskets are adorned with greenery — usually boxwood — symbolizing hope and new life.

A tradition that moves hearts

According to polls, more people in Poland have their Easter baskets blessed than profess belief in God. For many, it may simply be a beautiful tradition; for others, a moment of reflection — and for some, the beginning of something deeper.

“I believe God has many ways of reaching people,” the priest said. “Blessing food is an opportunity to pause and reflect. For some, it’s a moment of conversion. God respects human freedom, but speaks to people through events, symbols, and encounters. The Easter basket is one of those quiet signs.”

For some, he added, it’s a chance to return to church — perhaps for the first time in a long time.

With the death of Pope Francis April 21, the practical aspects of overseeing the day-to-day needs of the Church and organizing a papal election fall to U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell.

Standing in the chapel of Pope Francis’ residence, it was Cardinal Farrell who announced to the world that the pope had died.

The 77-year-old, Irish-born former bishop of Dallas, Texas, has been “camerlengo” or chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church since 2019, although the job was basically just a title while Pope Francis was alive.

Since 2016 he has served as prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life. But Pope Francis gave him other big jobs to handle simultaneously: he has been the sole administrator of the Vatican’s pension fund since November 2024; president of the Vatican Committee for Investments since 2022; and president of the Commission for Confidential Matters, mainly involving financial contracts, since 2020.

Now Cardinal Farrell’s responsibilities range from ensuring that nothing is touched or tampered with in Pope Francis’ rooms in the Domus Sanctae Marthae to selecting the technicians who will sweep the Sistine Chapel for electronic bugs, cameras and recording devices.

As chamberlain, Cardinal Farrell is the only person who may authorize the photographing of the pope’s dead body, but only for documentary purposes and only with the body dressed in pontifical vestments.

As chamberlain the cardinal takes temporary charge of the Church’s affairs until a new pope is elected. His first duty was to ceremonially certify the death of the pope.

According to rules set by St. John Paul II in 1996, Cardinal Farrell was to seal the pope’s office and bedroom and take possession of the Apostolic Palace and the papal palaces at St. John Lateran in Rome and at Castel Gandolfo, south of the city.

In consultation with senior cardinals, he makes the arrangements for the pope’s funeral and sets the date for the beginning of the meetings necessary to prepare for the conclave.

The chamberlain also is responsible for preparing the cardinals’ rooms in the Vatican’s Domus Sanctae Marthae guest house. The rules about what happens when the papacy is vacant specify that he is to be assisted by the “cardinals” who served the previous pope as secretary of state and as head of the office governing Vatican City State.

But Pope Francis’ most recent choice to lead the city-state government is not a cardinal. Pope Francis appointed Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Raffaella Petrini as president of the office March 1. It was not immediately clear whether she would be part of the preparatory commission since she is not a cardinal.

While the office of pope is vacant, the chamberlain presides over what are called “particular congregations of the cardinals.” In addition to the chamberlain, the particular congregations include three cardinals chosen by lot. The chamberlain’s assistants serve for three days, then are replaced by three other cardinals chosen by lot.

The group of four deals with “ordinary affairs” not requiring the discussion and consent of the entire College of Cardinals, which meets under the presidency of the college’s dean, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.

The particular congregation is the only body empowered to decide whether a reason exists for anyone in the conclave to communicate with anyone outside the gathering.

Cardinal Farrell and his rotating board of three cardinal assistants also are responsible for giving approval to the individuals chosen to serve as priest-confessors, doctors and domestic staff for the cardinals in the conclave.

The chamberlain, with two masters of ceremonies, is responsible for administering an oath of secrecy to the non-cardinals whose service is needed by the conclave.

Under Pope John Paul’s 1996 rules, at the end of the conclave, Cardinal Farrell also is required to write up a report on the results of each ballot cast, place it in a sealed envelope and give it to the new pope after he is elected.

Although his role in the preparation and work of the conclave is key, the chamberlain’s duties end inside the Sistine Chapel with the election of a new pope.

Here is an explanation of some of the terms and practices related to the time between the death of Pope Francis April 21 and the election of his successor.

“Sede vacante”

Dioceses are also called sees. The Latin for “when the see is vacant” is “sede vacante.” When the vacant see is the pope’s Diocese of Rome, all major church decisions, such as new legislation or the appointment of bishops, stop until a new pope is elected. Only ordinary business and matters that cannot be postponed can be conducted by the College of Cardinals.

Interregnum

The period between popes is called an interregnum — between reigns — even though St. Paul VI set aside many of the regal trappings of the papacy and references to a papal “reign” gradually fell into disuse. Pope Paul inaugurated his ministry in 1963 with a coronation, then set aside the papal tiara. It was the last time a pope wore the beehive-shaped tiara, a triple crown.

Conclave

A meeting of cardinals to elect a new pope is a conclave. The word — from the Latin “cum clave” (with key) — means under lock and key. In 1268, cardinals couldn’t decide on a new pope. After nearly three years the people finally locked them up and cut their rations. The man elected, Pope Gregory X, ordered that in the future cardinals be sequestered from the start, and eventually the practice became normative.

Camerlengo

U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, as camerlengo, or chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, assisted by the vice chamberlain and a canonical adviser, is in charge of safeguarding the temporal goods of the church and its temporal rights during the interregnum. The chamberlain heads a three-member commission that oversees physical preparations for the conclave and leads what is called a “particular congregation” — a group of three other cardinals chosen by lot — to conduct the minor day-to-day business of the Vatican until a new pope is elected.

Dean of the College of Cardinals

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re is the current dean. As dean, he calls the cardinals to Rome and presides over their daily meetings before the conclave. Because Cardinal Re is over 80 and ineligible to enter the conclave, the dean’s duties inside the Sistine Chapel will be handled by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the top-ranking cardinal-bishop of those under 80. Inside the chapel, Cardinal Parolin will administer the oath of secrecy and preside over the conclave. When a candidate achieves a two-thirds majority vote, Cardinal Parolin — in the name of the entire college — asks the candidate if he accepts the election and what name he will take.

Cardinal-electors

Only cardinals under the age of 80 on the day the “sede vacante” begins can enter a conclave and vote for a pope. Even if he is retired from other church posts, if a cardinal is under 80 he is considered an active cardinal for the purposes of the conclave. As of April 21, the day of Pope Francis’ death, there are 135 cardinal-electors.

General congregations

All cardinals who are able to go to Rome attend the general congregations, which are daily meetings in which the College of Cardinals prepares for a conclave, discusses the needs of the church and handles more serious church business that must be attended to between popes. Cardinals over 80 may participate in these meetings but they are not required to. General congregations end when the cardinals enter into conclave.

Particular congregations

Between popes, the church’s camerlengo and three other cardinals chosen by lot handle the day-to-day business of the Holy See in daily meetings called particular congregations. These continue while the cardinals are in conclave. Every three days three new cardinals are chosen by lot to assist the camerlengo.

“Extra omnes”

The Latin command, “all outside,” orders everyone who is not authorized to be in the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to leave before the conclave starts.

Secrecy

Cardinals take two oaths of secrecy not to reveal to anyone anything directly or indirectly related to the election of the pope. The first oath is taken the first day a cardinal joins the general congregation; the second, at the start of the conclave. The few non-cardinals authorized to assist the cardinals while they are in conclave also take an oath of secrecy.

Scrutineers

These are three cardinals, chosen by lot at the start of a conclave, to oversee the depositing of the marked, folded ballots for pope into an urn. They shake the urn, count the ballots to assure the number of votes and voters matches, then open each ballot and record and read aloud the name on it. They add the votes cast for each candidate to determine if a pope has been elected and handle the burning of the ballots and any notes taken by cardinals.

“Infirmieri”

Three cardinals are chosen by lot at the start of a conclave to oversee conclave voting by any cardinal-electors who are too ill or infirm to sit through the conclave sessions in the Sistine Chapel. On each ballot, after depositing their votes in an urn, they go together to the sick cardinals with blank ballots and a locked box in which the completed ballots can be placed through a slit. They return to the conclave and deliver the votes.

Revisers

Three cardinals, chosen by lot at the start of a conclave, recount and verify each round of balloting for the election of a pope.

White smoke, black smoke

The traditional signal, from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, indicates whether a pope has been elected: Black smoke, no; white smoke, yes. The smoke is generated by burning conclave ballots and notes with chemicals to make the smoke the right color.

Against the backdrop of deep differences with the Trump administration over migration and foreign aid, as well as concerns for Ukraine and for Gaza, the Vatican secretary of state welcomed U.S. Vice President JD Vance to the Vatican.

Vance met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and with Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Vatican foreign minister, April 19 in the Apostolic Palace.

A Vatican statement said areas of agreement, such as the defense of religious freedom, as well as the areas of tension with the Trump administration, were discussed.

“There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees and prisoners,” the Vatican statement said.

While “other issues of mutual interest were also discussed,” the Vatican said that “hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the State and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged.”

The vice president arrived at the Vatican with his wife, Usha, and three children. Cardinal Parolin greeted all of them before holding talks with Vance and his entourage. Vance was in Rome for talks with the Italian government and, with his family, was visiting tourist sites in the city and participating in Holy Week and Easter services. The Vance family attended the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica April 18 and was expected to attend Easter morning Mass in St. Peter’s Square April 20.

A quick encounter with Pope Francis was possible Easter morning, but was not scheduled officially as the pope continued to recover after a long hospitalization. The pope died Easter Monday.

After the deaths or resignations of their predecessors, the last six popes have been elected within a fairly short period of time — between two and three weeks.

• St. John XXIII died June 3, 1963, and his funeral was held June 6. The conclave to choose his successor began June 19 and lasted two days. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini, who took the name Paul VI, was elected June 21. He was installed June 30.
• St. Paul VI died Aug. 6, 1978, and his funeral was held Aug. 12. The conclave to choose his successor began Aug. 25. A day later, Aug. 26, the cardinals elected Cardinal Albino Luciani, who chose the name John Paul I. He was installed Sept. 3.
• Blessed John Paul I died less than a month later, on Sept. 28, 1978, and his funeral was held Oct. 4. The conclave to choose his successor began Oct. 15 and Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was elected on the second day of voting, Oct. 16. Pope John Paul II was installed Oct. 22.
• St. John Paul II died April 2, 2005, and his funeral was celebrated April 8. Under the leadership of its dean, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the College of Cardinals entered the conclave April 18 and elected the dean as pope the next day. He took the name Pope Benedict XVI and inaugurated his pontificate April 24.
• Pope Benedict XVI announced Feb. 11, 2013, that he was resigning effective Feb. 28. Most of the world’s cardinals gathered in Rome in time to thank him for his service and almost immediately began their pre-conclave meetings. The electors solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel and began the conclave March 12. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected March 13 on the fifth ballot and took the name Pope Francis. He inaugurated his papacy March 19. Pope Benedict died Dec. 31, 2022, and Pope Francis presided at his funeral Jan. 5, 2023.
• Pope Francis died April 21, and his funeral was scheduled for April 26. A date for the conclave had not been announced as of April 22.

The period between popes is called an interregnum — between reigns — even though St. Paul VI set aside many of the regal trappings of the papacy and references to a papal “reign” gradually fell into disuse. Pope Paul inaugurated his ministry in 1963 with a coronation, then set aside the papal tiara. It was the last time a pope wore the beehive-shaped tiara, a triple crown.

Here is a timeline of some significant events in Pope Francis’ 12-year pontificate:

2013

March 13: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was elected pope on the second day of the conclave, becoming the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European elected in almost 1,300 years. The Jesuit was also the first member of his order to be elected pope and the first member of any religious order elected in nearly two centuries.

July 8: Pope Francis made his first trip outside of Rome, choosing to go to the Italian island of Lampedusa to underline the plight of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

2014

June 8: Pope Francis, Israeli President Shimon Peres, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and others came together in the Vatican Gardens for an unprecedented gathering to pray for peace in the Holy Land.

2015

Sept. 19-27: Pope Francis traveled to Cuba, then to Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia during his first visit to the United States. He addressed Congress, the United Nations and the World Meeting of Families and visited the 9/11 memorial in New York.

Dec. 8: Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica to inaugurate a Holy Year of Mercy. 

2016

Feb. 12-17: Pope Francis, on his way to Mexico, stopped in Cuba to meet Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow at the Havana airport and sign a joint declaration in the presence of Cuban President Raul Castro. In Mexico, he celebrated Mass in Ciudad Juárez, which borders El Paso, Texas. 

2017

April 13: Pope Francis went to a maximum security prison to celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper and wash the feet of 12 prisoners, including three women and a Muslim man, who was preparing for baptism. The celebration continued a practice he began as archbishop of Buenos Aires and performed every Holy Thursday as pope, especially for those who are marginalized, in the foot-washing rite.

2018

April 21: Pope Francis appointed three women as consultors to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the first time women and laypeople were named as active contributors — not support staff. They joined a growing number of women the pope has named to top-level positions at the Vatican.

Aug. 2: Pope Francis ordered the revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to describe the death penalty as morally inadmissible and to affirm that the Church “works with determination for its abolition worldwide.”

2019

Feb. 4: Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar mosque and university, signed the document on “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” during an interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Feb. 21-24: Pope Francis convened a global summit on child protection and abuse, bringing together nearly 200 church leaders — presidents of bishops’ conferences, the heads of the Eastern Catholic churches, superiors of men’s and women’s religious orders, survivors and Roman Curia officials. The summit at the Vatican included a penitential liturgy.

2020

March 27: During the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis prayed and delivered his extraordinary blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) during an evening prayer service from St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. St. Peter’s Square was empty, and the service was livestreamed.

2021

March 5-8: Pope Francis visited Iraq, although sporadic violence continued in the country and COVID-19 restrictions were still in place. He honored Iraqi Christians who remained faithful during the Islamic State terror and worked to rebuild the country.

July 4: The pope underwent a three-hour scheduled surgery at a Rome hospital to remove part of his colon. Officials said it was required to treat diverticulitis, when bulging pouches in the lining of the intestine or colon become inflamed or infected.

2022 

July 13: Pope Francis named three women to the Dicastery for Bishops, which was the first time women were appointed to the dicastery that helps him choose bishops. He had appointed a woman to top management as a secretary of a dicastery for the first time in 2021 and named several women as undersecretaries. He also named women to the management role of secretary of a pontifical commission.

July 24-29: Pope Francis made “a penitential trip” to Canada to meet with, listen to and apologize to members of Canada’s First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities.

2023

Jan. 5: Pope Francis presided over the funeral Mass for Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square. It was the first time in more than 200 years that a pope celebrated the funeral of his predecessor.

March 13: Pope Francis celebrated his 10th anniversary as pope. 

June 7-16: Pope Francis was hospitalized for a three-hour operation to remove scar tissue and to repair a hernia located where a previous surgical incision had been made in his abdominal wall.

Oct. 4-29: Pope Francis presided over the first session of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality at the Vatican. The three-year process of listening and dialogue began in 2021 on the local, regional and continental levels.

Dec. 17: Pope Francis celebrated his 87th birthday, making him the oldest pope in the past century.

2024

March 24-31: For the second year in a row, Pope Francis followed the nighttime Way of the Cross service in Rome’s Colosseum from his Vatican residence on Good Friday. But despite his limited mobility, he still presided over a full slate of Easter and Holy Week liturgies and rites, including his first Holy Thursday visit to a prison with only women present. It was the first time as pope that he washed the feet of only women.

Oct. 2-27: Pope Francis presided over the second assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality.

Dec. 24: Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, launching the “Jubilee of Hope,” which was to run through Jan. 6, 2026.

2025 

Feb. 14: Pope Francis was hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli hospital with bronchitis and breathing difficulties. He was later diagnosed with double pneumonia and multiple infections in his respiratory system. He was released March 23 and told he would need two months to convalesce.

April 20: Pope Francis met briefly with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in the papal residence and then went to the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to give his Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world).

April 21: Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m.

In his brief final testament, Pope Francis asked to be buried at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major and said he had offered his suffering for peace in the world.

“I offered the suffering present in the latter part of my life to the Lord for world peace and brotherhood among peoples,” he wrote in the document dated June 29, 2022, and published by the Vatican April 21, hours after he had died.

“Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in eternal life, I wish to express my testamentary will only as to the place of my burial,” he wrote.

The document made no mention of the disposition of any possessions or of his personal papers.

As he had said publicly on several occasions, Pope Francis asked to be buried at St. Mary Major because he had entrusted his “priestly and episcopal life and ministry” to Mary.

“I wish my last earthly journey to end at this very ancient Marian shrine where I would go to pray at the beginning and end of each apostolic journey to confidently entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and to thank her for the docile and maternal care,” he wrote.

Pope Francis then specified that “my tomb be prepared in the niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel — the Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani — and the Sforza Chapel.”

“The tomb should be in the earth; simple, without special decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus,” he wrote.

Pope Francis said a benefactor already had covered the expenses for his burial and that he already had given specific instructions to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, the coadjutor archpriest of the basilica.

“May the Lord give a well-deserved reward to those who have loved me and will continue to pray for me,” he wrote.

The funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, April 26 in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the liturgy, which begins a nine-day period of official mourning and daily memorial Masses.

The deceased pope’s body, which was taken to the chapel of his residence late April 21, the day of his death, will be carried into St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing and prayer early Wednesday, April 23.

The public viewing was scheduled to end late April 25 with another prayer service to close the coffin.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said the Mass originally scheduled for the Jubilee for Adolescents April 27 would be one of the eight memorial Masses that follow the funeral of the pope. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was secretary of state under Pope Francis, will preside.

The rites and rituals for dressing the body, moving it to St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrating the funeral are published in the “Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis” (“Funeral Rites of the Roman Pontiff”).

The rites originally were approved by St. John Paul II in 1998 but were released only when he died in 2005. Modified versions of the rites were used after Pope Benedict XVI died Dec. 31, 2022, and Pope Francis revised and simplified them in 2024.

U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, the “camerlengo” or chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, announced to the world that Pope Francis had died April 21 at the age of 88.

Shortly before 10 a.m. (3 a.m. Central) in Rome, Vatican Media’s livestream of St. Peter’s Square switched over to a live broadcast from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae where the pope lived.

Standing at a microphone and taking his cue that the camera was rolling, Cardinal Farrell gave the announcement in Italian: “Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.”

“At 7:35 this morning Francis, the Bishop of Rome, returned to the house of the Father. His whole life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his Church,” said the cardinal, who was flanked by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the substitute for general affairs in the Secretariat of State. Standing next to the archbishop was the master of liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli.

Cardinal Farrell said that the pope “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,” he said.

Making the announcement, all four were wearing their simple, black clerical garb.

Reporters accredited to the Vatican press office had received an advisory at 9:45 a.m. local time via the messaging app, Telegram, notifying them that there would be a live broadcast to tune into on the Vatican News website and Vatican Media YouTube channel.

The press office then updated reporters on Telegram at 9:52 that the news had been Cardinal Farrell announcing the pope’s death. It also added later in the day that the pope had died in his apartment at the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

At noon, one bell began ringing the death knell from St. Peter’s Basilica, which, according to tradition, is rung by hand when a pope dies. The clapper weighs almost 1,000 pounds.

Federico Ciriaci, operations coordinator of the technical department of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, which is the office responsible for upkeep of the basilica, was in charge of ringing the bell April 21 with the first toll at noon lasting 15 minutes. The death knell was repeated at regular intervals throughout the day.

Also in the morning, local churches started tolling the death knell from their bell towers. The request had come from Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, who had shared the announcement of the pope’s death on the conference website.

“It is a moment of sorrow and great suffering for all the Church,” he wrote.

“Let us entrust our beloved Pope Francis to the arms of the Lord in the certainty, as he himself taught us, that ‘everything is revealed in mercy; everything is resolved in the merciful love of the Father,'” Cardinal Zuppi wrote, quoting from the late pope’s apostolic letter, “Misericordia et Misera,” (“Mercy and Misery”).

He asked all churches across Italy to ring the solemn toll throughout the day as a sign of mourning and to promote moments of personal and communal prayer in union with the other churches in Italy and with the universal Church.

The Monday after Easter, April 21, is a major holiday in Italy with many residents going to the countryside for picnics or meals with friends and families. Rome, however, was full of tourists who were taking advantage of the holidays and time off from work and school.

Immediately before leaving Rome’s Gemelli hospital after more than five weeks of treatment for breathing difficulties, double pneumonia and infections, Pope Francis greeted hundreds of people who gathered outside the hospital March 23.

With a very weak voice, Pope Francis thanked the crowd, waving his hands and giving a thumbs up.

He also pointed to a woman carrying a yellow-wrapped bouquet of flowers and told the crowd, “She’s good.”

An aide had pushed Pope Francis in his wheelchair onto the balcony overlooking the square outside the hospital. Some 600 people had gathered at the hospital, including Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri. Hundreds of people also gathered in front of video screens in St. Peter’s Square to see the pope for the first time since he was hospitalized Feb. 14.

The pope left the hospital almost immediately after his appearance on the balcony.

The motorcycle police leading the pope’s motorcade turned onto the street leading to the Vatican entrance closest to his residence and then turned around. Rather than go directly home, Pope Francis was driven through the center of Rome to the Basilica of St. Mary Major where he has prayed before and after every foreign trip and after his two previous hospitalizations for abdominal surgery.

Pope Francis did not go into the church but left a bouquet of flowers to be placed on the altar under the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” or “Health of the Roman People.”

Television footage of the pope, seated in the front seat of a white Fiat, showed he was using oxygen through a nasal tube.

Dr. Sergio Alfieri, head of the medical team treating the pope, had told reporters March 22 that in his rooms at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the pope will continue using oxygen as needed through a nasal tube, will be taking medication to fight a lingering mycosis, a fungal infection, and will be continuing his physical therapy and respiratory therapy.

The doctors have prescribed two months of rest and recuperation and have urged the pope not to meet with large groups during that time. They also said his voice will require time to recover.

The morning after Pope Francis’ doctors said that he remained in “critical” condition and showed initial signs of renal insufficiency, the Vatican press office said the pope was in “good spirits” and continuing his treatment.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, led a public recitation of the rosary at 9 p.m. (2 p.m. Central) Feb. 24 in St. Peter’s Square. The prayer is a moment “to show the closeness of the Church to the pope and all who are sick,” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office.

Some two dozen cardinals joined the nighttime prayer Feb. 24, along with officials of the Roman Curia and hundreds of Catholics from Rome and around the world. The daily rosary will be a fixed appointment, the Vatican said. 

Pope Francis, who celebrated his 88th birthday in December, has been an inpatient at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14; his doctors diagnosed double pneumonia.

A medical bulletin published by the Vatican late Feb. 24, said Pope Francis’ condition had shown a slight improvement during the day, but his condition remained critical. He had not had another “asthmatic respiratory crisis,” so doctors were able to reduce the oxygen he is receiving by nasal cannula.

The Vatican press office the pope is in “good spirits,” is continuing his treatment and is not in pain. The pope can and still does get out of bed.

The press office publishes a longer statement every evening, which the doctors said they write and give to the pope for his approval before publication.

A blood transfusion administered Feb. 22, the bulletin said, did prove beneficial “with a rise in the value of hemoglobin.” However, it added, his platelet count was still low.

“The complexity of his clinical picture, and the need to wait for the drug therapies to provide some result, dictate that the prognosis remains reserved,” the doctors had said late Feb. 23.

In the suite of rooms reserved for the popes on the 10th floor of the hospital, Pope Francis “participated in Holy Mass, together with those who are caring for him during these days of hospitalization,” the bulletin said.

The Vatican released a message written by the pope for the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer Feb. 23, but did not say what day the pope wrote it.

“I am confidently continuing my hospitalization,” the pope wrote, “carrying on with the necessary treatment; and rest is also part of the therapy!”

Pope Francis thanked the doctors and health care workers for their care and also thanked people for the “many messages of affection” that he has received, particularly the letters and drawings sent by children.

“Thank you for this closeness and for the prayers of comfort I have received from all over the world,” he wrote.

Many of those prayers have come from people who gather in the courtyard beneath his suite of rooms at the hospital. The immense stone statue of St. John Paul II is the focal point where visitors gravitate to pray and leave flowers, candles, rosaries, cards, drawings and notes. 

While there have been more journalists in the courtyard than faithful most days, that changed about 10 minutes before noon Feb. 23. More than 60 young people and members of a community connected with the Pontifical Academy of the Immaculate Conception arrived to pray the midday Angelus. They were joined later by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary and the pope’s former vicar for the Diocese of Rome from 2017 to 2024.

Father Giacomo Martinelli, who heads the academy’s pastoral initiatives and was leading the group, told reporters the pope needs everyone’s prayers “like Jesus in Gethsemane.”

“Prayer works. It is God’s power,” the priest said.

Cardinal De Donatis told reporters that this was a time “to intensify one’s prayers” and to ask God to give the pope strength. “We’re here to help him feel our closeness” and “this strong embrace.”