Death of Pope Francis

Our Catholic family worldwide is in mourning following the death of our spiritual father, Pope Francis.

Pope Francis' funeral rites, like those for any pope or any Christian, are meant to "reinforce the hope and witness to the faith" that those who have been baptized in Christ "will rise with him to new life."

Elected in 2013 with a clear mandate to reform the Roman Curia, Pope Francis completed the project with his apostolic constitution, "Preach the Gospel," nine years after taking office.

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.