St. James the Apostle Roman Catholic Church

“The Chosen” actor Jonathan Roumie meets Pope Francis at the Vatican on Aug. 11, 2021. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Apr 24, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Celebrities who had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis during his papacy are remembering the late pontiff, sharing their experiences with the pope and reflecting on his warmth and legacy. 

Actor Antonio Banderas, known for his role in the “Zorro” movie series among other films, paid tribute to Pope Francis in an Instagram post.

“Pope Francisco has died — a man who, at the head of the Catholic Church, showed kindness, love, and mercy to the neediest people,” he wrote.

The Catholic actor was recently seen participating in a Palm Sunday procession with the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Tears and Favors, in which he is a steward, in his hometown of Málaga, Spain. 

Comedian Jimmy Fallon shared a photo of himself with the late pope taken last year during a gathering of comics hosted at the Vatican that included Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Rock, and others.

“It was an honor meeting Pope Francis last summer. I’m glad I made you laugh. Thank you for your encouraging words. Rest in peace,” Fallon wrote on Instagram. 

Whoopi Goldberg, who met the pope on two occasions including at last year’s event with comedians at the Vatican, wrote on Instagram that Francis “seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and [nonbeliever].”

The comedian compared Francis to St. John XXIII and remembered him for his “love of humanity and laughter.”

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio recalled his “deeply moving” meeting with the Holy Father in 2016.

“Pope Francis was a transformational leader — not only for the Catholic Church but also for environmental reform and activism,” DiCaprio wrote.

DiCaprio, a lifelong environmentalist, said the pope “demonstrated a deep and unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, most notably through his groundbreaking 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’.”

He called the environmental encyclical a “powerful document” that “served as a clarion call for a fundamental shift in how we relate to the planet.”

During his 2016 meeting with the pope, the two discussed climate change. DiCaprio called the experience “enlightening, deeply moving, and thought-provoking.”

“Pope Francis was one of the most extraordinary spiritual leaders of our time. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of environmentalists around the world. May he rest in peace,” he concluded.

Catholic filmmaker Martin Scorcese called the Holy Father “a remarkable human being” in a statement shared with ABC News. 

“He acknowledged his own failings. He radiated wisdom. He radiated goodness. He had an ironclad commitment to the good. He knew in his soul that ignorance was a terrible plague on humanity. So he never stopped learning,” Scorsese said.

He added: “The loss for me runs deep — I was lucky enough to know him, and I will miss his presence and his warmth. The loss for the world is immense. But he left a light behind, and it can never be extinguished.”

Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, known for his role as Jesus Christ in the series “The Chosen,” met Pope Francis in 2021 and 2022. 

In a post on Instagram, Roumie wrote: “As a Catholic, getting to meet the pope, the successor to St. Peter, is one of the grandest honors a person can receive. The fact that I had been given the grace to meet him twice is something for which I will ever be profoundly grateful.”

“His humility, his kindness and his gentleness were the marks of his pontificate for me; traits that I endeavor to embody in my own life, especially in my encounters with people,” he added.

Roumie recalled the Holy Father’s “model of Christ’s love towards humanity,” which “always felt like a direct invitation to ‘follow him’ along that path, that ‘narrow road’ however challenging it could sometimes be in this existence; always knowing that in the end, it is worth everything.”

“You will be missed Santo Padre,” he continued. “But now you dwell in that heavenly place, in the eternal presence of he who created you and formed you … you are, once again, his. And what a place it must be!” 

Another Catholic actor who recalled a special meeting with Pope Francis was David Henrie, best known for his role as Justin Russo in Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.”

When Henrie and his wife, Maria, met the pope in 2018, the couple was seeking prayers after experiencing three miscarriages. Henrie asked the Holy Father to pray for him and his wife as they were trying to conceive. Pope Francis took their hands, gave them a special blessing, and told them not to worry — that a baby would be coming. Nine months after this meeting, the Henries welcomed their first baby into the world, Pia Philomena Francesca Henrie — Francesca, in honor of Pope Francis.

Henrie wrote in an Instagram post: “May his soul rest in peace. After three miscarriages we got to receive a special blessing from Pope Francis. Nine months later our little Pia Francesca was born. I’ll forever be grateful for that moment. Let’s pray for the next pope!”

Pope Pius XII. / Credit: Vatican Media

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Apr 24, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

“There has been a shift of late regarding Pius XII,” historian William Doino told CNA. The wartime pontiff has often been vilified, Doino said, adding: “He will soon get due recognition” for efforts to rescue Jews and others persecuted by Nazis and fascists more than 80 years ago. 

This year, Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, is marked on April 24 in the United States and Israel, according to the lunar calendar of Jewish observance. Elsewhere,  International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed on Jan. 27.

Doino has spent decades researching the legacy of Pope Pius XII and the wartime pontiff’s efforts to rescue Jews, Allied military personnel, and others pursued by Nazi occupiers. He has interviewed clergy and diplomats who knew Pius XII personally and who could give firsthand testimony. Unlike other researchers, Doino recorded these interviews, which inform his reports on the pontiff.

He is also co-author of “The Pius War: Responses to the Critics of Pius XII.” The editor of the book is Rabbi David G. Dalin, who noted that prominent Jews, including Albert Einstein, Golda Meir, and Chief Rabbi Yitgzhak HaLevi Herzog, lauded Pius XII for saving thousands of Jews.

Doino said “a mountain of evidence” provided by modern research and newly revealed documents offer new insights into Pope Pius XII (the former Eugenio Pacelli), and his efforts have been missed by his critics. However, Doino also said in an interview that the Church must confront the “increasing evils of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, which pose a grave threat to the Jewish community across the globe.” 

Leading Catholic figures, such as Pius XII, responded by fighting “these dangerous sins” and defending Jews. “The God-given dignity and fundamental human rights of every human being needs to be respected at all times — our Catholic faith demands nothing less,” he said. 

Pius XII, like his predecessors, sought to be neutral and work for peace. “He was not just a mild-mannered diplomat. He was willing to think outside the box and take risks,” Doino said. He was under tremendous pressure, and rescuers were under threat of death. Many efforts by the pope and the Church were too dangerous to record on paper, Doino affirmed, presenting a challenge to historians. Doino said Vatican clergy took oral instructions from the pope to rescue Jews.

Multiple authors, including Catholic journalist John Cornwell, have linked Pope Pius XII to the destruction of European Jews. Cornwell argued that before and during World War II, Pius XII legitimized Adolf Hitler’s extermination regime. Cornwell accused him of antisemitism and seeking to aggrandize the papacy. But extensive information exists that challenges the narrative of papal indifference, or even complicity, in the crimes.

Doino said Pius XII used diplomatic and covert means to chastise Nazis for their eugenics and racism and to avert war. But the fascists and Nazis would not listen, Doino said, “for as we know, psychopaths and murderers do not listen to honorable people.” He also pointed out that Pius XI, Pius XII’s predecessor, issued in 1937 Mit Brennender Sorge, an encyclical denouncing antisemitism and fascism, which Pius XII affirmed. 

Sweeping generalizations about the Church and the papacy, Doino said, should be discarded even though there were specific instances of antisemitic European clergy and laity who supported the Axis. Doino also confirmed that the pope actively assisted anti-Nazi resisters and sought to overthrow Adolf Hitler.

Doino said researchers must look beyond Vatican files to document Pius XII’s efforts. He said that in “Myron Taylor, the Man Nobody Knew,” author C. Evan Stewart revealed in 2023 that Taylor — the official U.S. representative to the Holy See — learned that the pope, at a famous 1940 meeting with Nazi diplomat Joachim von Ribbentrop, demanded that two Vatican representatives be given permission to visit Poland to document Nazi atrocities when he learned that Jews were being targeted. The German admitted that Jews were being exterminated and then refused the papal request. “This proves that Pius XII defended the Jews,” Doino said, and gives the lie to claims otherwise.

Pius XII’s critics have a hard time proving that he was antisemitic or indifferent to the plight of European Jews. “What they do is try to link him to other officials who were, sadly, antisemitic or anti-Jewish. But even in those instances, God worked on them. Some who were antisemitic, when faced with the Nazi horrors, changed or allowed their human sympathies to transcend their bigotries so that they could rescue Jews,” he said. 

Archbishop Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII, is known to have rescued thousands of Jews while serving as a papal diplomat in Turkey and Greece during World War II. Archbishop Clemens August Graf von Galen of Münster, Germany, protested Nazi euthanasia in 1941.

“This would not have happened if Pope Pius had not authorized them. It was done under his orders and inspiration,” Doino said. “To separate the actions of Roncalli from those of the pope is incorrect.”

Doino said that critics considering the horrors of the Holocaust should “be humble and open to the truth and follow the facts wherever they lead.” He noted that historian Father Hubert Wolf, an acute critic of Pius XII, has since called for a reassessment of the pope’s legacy on the basis of new documentation.

Vatican documents revealed by papal archivist Johan Ickx revealed in “Le Bureau — Les Juifs de Pie XII” (“The Office — The Jews of Pius XII”), published in 2020 and based on a decade of research, that the pope consistently sought peace and set up an office to save endangered people.

Ickx said: “I think there are 2,800 cases, there’s a list equivalent to Schindler’s list, a ‘Pacelli’s list’; I wonder how it is that the Holy See never publicized it.” During the German occupation of Italy, 81% of the 39,000 Jews in Italy were saved.

Suzanne Brown-Fleming of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum told an October 2023 conference in Rome, for instance, that before the Second Vatican Council, many Catholics thought of Jews and Judaism as “something dangerous, something different.” But many battled these prejudices and saved Jews “sometimes at the cost of their lives.” 

Among the rescuers, she said, were those who inspired the Second Vatican Council, such as Pope John XXIII, who inaugurated it. She said laity, parishes, seminaries, religious orders, and papal institutions harbored Jews, producing false identities and smuggling Jews into Switzerland under the threat of death.

Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, prelate of Opus Dei, in Rome. / Credit: Courtesy of Opus Dei/Flickr

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 24, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

The Catholic personal prelature Opus Dei has significantly reduced the scope of its two-week general congress that began this week due to the death of Pope Francis two days before the assembly’s scheduled start date.

Opus Dei had planned to revise its statutes to conform them to Pope Francis’ motu proprio Ad Charisma Tuendum. Essentially, the pontiff’s directive subjected Opus Dei to the leadership of the Dicastery for the Clergy rather than the Dicastery for Bishops and ended the practice of elevating the prelate of Opus Dei to the role of a bishop.

The pope had also directed Opus Dei to revise its statutes to reflect this new structure, which was meant to be accomplished during the general congress. The revision would have then been submitted to the Holy See for approval after its adoption by the general congress.

Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, the prelate of Opus Dei, announced on April 21 that those statute revisions will be delayed and the general congress will only focus on the administrative tasks of renewing positions in the general council and the central advisory, which are appointed or renewed every eight years.

“The other questions that were to be dealt with at the congress … will be studied later,” Ocáriz said in a statement. “Now is a time of mourning, prayer, and unity with the whole Church.”

Ocáriz wrote that he decided not to delay the renewal of those positions because many of the participants had already arrived in Rome. Yet, it will be “reduced to the minimum necessary.”

“Let us take advantage of these days to live in communion with the whole Church during the mourning and funeral rites for the Holy Father,” Ocáriz said. 

In addition, Ocáriz issued a separate statement to commemorate the life and the papacy of Francis, saying: “In these moments of sorrow, together with the whole Church, we address our prayers to the Lord for the soul of our beloved Pope Francis.”

“The pope had great faith in the mercy of God and one of the main orientations of his pontificate has been precisely to announce it to the men and women of today,” he added. “By his example, he urged us to accept and experience God’s mercy, who never tires of forgiving us; and, on the other hand, to be merciful to others, as he tirelessly was himself, with so many gestures of tenderness that are a central part of his witnessing magisterium.”

Opus Dei had also planned to study ways to further their apostolic work in light of the conclusions of regional assemblies, but this will also be postponed.

The Holy Tunic of Christ on display in Argenteuil, France, in 2016. / Credit: Simon de l'Ouest, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Paris, France, Apr 24, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

A rare exhibit of the Holy Tunic of Christ — believed to be the garment worn by Jesus during his passion — is drawing unprecedented crowds to the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Argenteuil, a suburb of Paris. 

Open to the public from April 18 to May 11, the exhibit is galvanizing Catholic faithful across Europe. More than 400,000 pilgrims are expected during the 23-day event — more than double the attendance of the previous exhibit in 2016. 

Argenteuil, a city that has seen significant Muslim immigration in recent decades, now finds itself at the heart of a surprising spiritual resurgence. 

To accommodate the historic influx of visitors, the Diocese of Pontoise — which oversees the basilica — has launched a large-scale logistical effort. The monument will remain open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., with overnight access on the three Saturdays following Easter. 

An educational and spiritual path accompanies pilgrims as they venerate the Holy Tunic, with several hundred trained volunteers assisting to guide the faithful and maintain a smooth flow of visitors. 

The exhibit of the Holy Tunic opened on Good Friday, April 18, with a solemn Mass celebrated by Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise, followed by a public Stations of the Cross procession through the streets of Argenteuil. Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin was originally scheduled to preside over the closing Mass on May 11, but the recent death of Pope Francis on April 21 and the upcoming conclave may alter the Vatican delegation’s presence.  

The Holy Tunic has only been publicly displayed twice in the 20th century — in 1934 and 1984 — drawing approximately 80,000 visitors each time. 

In a statement, the Diocese of Pontoise emphasized that the purpose of the exhibit is to offer believers “an opportunity to meditate on the passion of Christ and the profound meaning of his sacrifice.” 

Speaking to the Catholic weekly Famille Chrétienne, Father Guy-Emmanuel Cariot, rector of the basilica, underlined the spiritual dimension of the event. “Our task is to organize the encounter between people and the Holy Tunic — then the Lord does what he has to do,” he said.

For Cariot, the relic is “an open book of the Passion,” capable of moving modern hearts. “More than the relic itself, it is Jesus who draws people in,” he added, inviting every pilgrim to contemplate the mystery of redemption. 

The Holy Tunic of Argenteuil is considered one of the most precious relics in Christendom. According to tradition, it was discovered in Jaffa in the fourth century by St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, and later gifted by Empress Irene of Constantinople to Charlemagne in the year 800. It was then entrusted to the Benedictine nuns of the Argenteuil abbey. After disappearing during the French Revolution, it was rediscovered in the 19th century and has since undergone several restorations. 

While scholars continue to debate its authenticity, the air of mystery surrounding the tunic has only deepened its veneration. For the faithful, it represents far more than a historical artifact: It is a tangible link to Christ’s passion — a sacred object that connects believers today with the redemptive suffering of Jesus. 

Historian Jean-Christian Petitfils, author of  “La sainte tunique d’Argenteuil: Authentique relique de la Passion du Christ” (“The Holy Tunic of Argenteuil: An Authentic Relic of Christ’s Passion”), argues that both scientific testing and historical indicators support the relic’s authenticity. Nonetheless, he acknowledges that gaps in documentation — and periods when the tunic vanished from the historical record — leave parts of its story shrouded in uncertainty. 

This year’s exhibit takes place in a city that has experienced profound socio-religious shifts in recent decades. Argenteuil, home to nearly 110,000 residents — around a third of whom have at least one parent of immigrant origin — has witnessed a sharp and steady decline in Catholic practice, even as Islam has become more visibly present in the public sphere. 

Against this backdrop, the display of the Holy Tunic carries significant symbolic weight. It represents a revival of Christian memory and a reaffirmation of the Church’s enduring presence in a society undergoing deep cultural and spiritual transformation. For many, it is a moment of awakening — a testament that the Catholic faith continues to resonate, even in a secularized and religiously diverse environment. 

The pastoral programming reflects this ambition. Daily solemn Masses are celebrated by different Church leaders, including Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldeans in Iraq, and Cardinal Juan José Omella, archbishop of Barcelona. Special days are devoted to children, along with scouting vigils and catechesis sessions for families, youth, and spiritual seekers. 

In the lead-up to the exhibit, the Holy Tunic toured several French cathedrals between 2024 and March 2025, preparing the public and cultivating a spirit of curiosity and reverence. 

This display also coincides with the broader revitalization of the Basilica of Saint-Denis — a spiritual and historical landmark of the Île-de-France region and traditional burial place of French royalty. A major restoration project is underway to reconstruct its north tower and spire, dismantled in the 19th century after a storm.  

Since 2022, archaeological excavations have unearthed Merovingian tombs and rare Romanesque elements, paving the way for a full restoration of the west façade, launched in 2023 and scheduled for completion in 2029. The initiative is not only architectural but also educational, featuring a craft village and immersive displays.  

Like the exhibit in Argenteuil, it bears witness to a shared drive to revive France’s Christian roots through the transmission and enhancement of its sacred heritage.

Pope Francis meets with inmates in a surprise visit to the Regina Coeli prison on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Rome. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 24, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Prisoners always held a special place in Pope Francis’ heart, and he demonstrated his love for them throughout his pontificate.

He visited them in the various countries he traveled to and even, for the Jubilee of Hope, decided to open a Holy Door himself at the Rebibbia prison for the first time in history.

During his first Holy Week after being elected pontiff in 2013, he went to the prison to wash the prisoners’ feet, a gesture he repeated every year until his final Holy Thursday, four days before his death.

On April 17, the ailing pontiff visited the prisoners at Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven) prison near the Vatican, a testament to his tireless defense of human dignity and his predilection for castoffs.

Father Raffaele Grimaldi, who oversees the work of Italian prison chaplains, emphasized in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that the initiative by the Holy Father is a sign that “his attention to the least and the poor was evident until his very last day.”

Pope Francis passes this task to us

“When he went to Regina Coeli, a few days before returning to the Father’s House, he wanted to leave us with a great message of ministering to the incarcerated,” he noted.

As Grimaldi sees it, “Pope Francis left this earthly world, passing on to us a task: to continue his work alongside the imprisoned.” 

Despite his poor health, the Holy Father met with 70 prisoners at the onset of the Easter Triduum. During the encounter, the pontiff explained the reason for his visit, linked to Holy Thursday and the traditional act of washing feet: “I like to do every year what Jesus did on Holy Thursday, the washing of feet, in prison.”

“This year I can’t do it, but I can and do want to be close to you. I pray for you and your families,” the pontiff told the prisoners in a weak voice.

After a moment of prayer, Pope Francis personally greeted each of the inmates and blessed them individually.

Grimaldi noted that each prisoner has a story to share: “Stories of suffering, of loneliness, of abandonment, but also a story of sin.”

“Pope Francis, when he washed feet on Holy Thursday in various Italian prisons over the years, wanted to make it understood that, [kneeling] in front of their feet, he had no prejudice, not even toward those who had committed serious crimes. Thus, the detainee feels accepted, without being judged; he feels uplifted by the pope’s words and gestures,” he added.

‘Why them and not me?’

Upon leaving prison last Holy Thursday, Pope Francis recalled the question that arose within him every time he visited a penitentiary: “Why them and not me?”

Grimaldi recalled that, during his encounters with inmates, “he frequently repeated this expression in order to say that within our penitentiary institutions there are also innocent people.”

“Because you can easily end up in prison,” the priest noted, “because you were convicted by human beings, which can also be an erroneous conviction by human beings who can make mistakes.”

“He planted a seed, and his message must be carried forward,” Grimaldi said.

Pope Francis speaks at the at the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens on May 31, 2021, against the backdrop of an image of Our Lady, Undoer (or Untier) of Knots. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Apr 24, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Of the many devotions Pope Francis promoted during his pontificate, perhaps none is better known than his devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots (also referred to as Our Lady, Untier of Knots), whose feast day is observed Sept. 28.

The devotion’s origins can be traced back to Augsburg, Germany, in 1612. Husband and wife Wolfgang Langenmantel and Sophia Rentz were on the verge of divorce, and Langenmantel sought help from Jesuit Father Jakob Rem. The priest took the ribbon from the couple’s wedding ritual, and together they prayed to Our Lady to untie the knots of their marital difficulties, asking for the Blessed Mother to smooth out the ribbon that had bound them together. 

The divorce did not happen, and together the couple lived out their married life. Years later, to commemorate the turn of events, their grandson, Father Hieronymus Langenmantel of St. Peter’s Monastery in Augsburg, commissioned Johann Melchior Georg Schmidttner to paint “Untier of Knots” in about the year 1700. It is still housed in St. Peter’s Church in Augsburg today.

While it has been reported that Pope Francis encountered the painting while studying in Germany, the pope pointed out in a 2017 interview with German news outlet Zeit that he has never been to Augsburg. What happened, he explained in the interview, was that a nun whom he had met while in Germany sent him a card at Christmas with the image on it.

The picture made an impression on the future pope, who noted that Langenmantel based his actions on a quote from St. Irenaeus: “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith” (“Against Heresies,” 3, 22, 4, as quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 494).

The pope said he liked the image so much that he started sending postcards of it, too.

Replicas of the image were painted in the pope’s home country, Argentina, and devotion there spread. Once Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013, devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots spread throughout the world.

Francis has talked about the devotion throughout his pontificate, even praying specifically to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is a prayer to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots from Pray More Novenas:

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of his children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot.

[Mention your request here]

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all. You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, O safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

This article was first published on Sept. 28, 2023, and has been updated.

Pope Francis is welcomed to APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on Sept. 7, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Staff, Apr 24, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis, who died April 21 at age 88, traveled abroad on apostolic journeys nearly 50 times during his 12-year papacy. The octagenarian pope continued to travel even after being hampered for a time by the COVID-19 pandemic and battling failing health in the latter years of his life. 

Francis’ 47 apostolic journeys brought him to 68 countries, Vatican News reported Monday — and those journeys included a number of papal firsts. His visits galvanized the often small Christian communities in the countries he visited and bore fruit in the form of ecumenical meetings and dialogue with non-Catholic leaders. 

In March 2021, the then-84-year-old landed in Baghdad, Iraq, the first pope to visit the country. He also later became the first pope — and indeed the first Western leader — to visit South Sudan. 

Check out the interactive map below to see a selection of some of Pope Francis’ most notable apostolic journeys.

Cardinals in Rome. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Apr 24, 2025 / 02:04 am (CNA).

The College of Cardinals saw a significant increase in attendance at Wednesday’s general congregation, with 103 cardinals now present in Rome — nearly double the approximately 60 who participated in Tuesday’s initial gathering.

The cardinals began their second meeting with prayers for Pope Francis before making several key decisions regarding the sede vacante period, including finalizing the schedule for the Novendiales — the nine-day mourning period that begins with Saturday’s requiem Mass.

According to the Office for Papal Liturgical Celebrations, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the funeral Mass for Pope Francis on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. Rome time.

The congregation also determined which cardinals will celebrate each of the subsequent Novendiales Masses through May 4. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, will preside at Sunday’s Mass, which begins at 10:30 a.m., while the remaining Masses will be celebrated at 5 p.m. each day.

While all 252 cardinals may participate in the general congregations regardless of age, only the 135 cardinals under 80 years old will be eligible to vote in the upcoming conclave. This number exceeds the traditional limit of 120 voting cardinals — a restriction that Pope Francis chose to waive during his pontificate.

The third general congregation is scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m. Rome time as more cardinals continue to arrive in the Eternal City.

Meanwhile, the faithful continue to file through St. Peter’s Basilica to pay their final respects to Pope Francis. Vatican officials report that approximately 20,000 people had entered the basilica by 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, though this figure appears conservative given wait times of up to five hours and the steady movement of the queue.

The Holy See Press Office also announced that 4,000 journalists have already received Vatican accreditation to cover Pope Francis’ funeral and the subsequent conclave.

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks on the U.S. opioid crisis at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 23, 2025. / Credit: SETH HERALD/AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 23, 2025 / 17:26 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) hosted the inaugural meeting this week of a new task force to counter anti-Christian bias in federal government policies, regulations, and practices.

“Protecting Christians from bias is not favoritism,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said ahead of the meeting. “It’s upholding the rule of law and fulfilling the constitutional promise [in the First Amendment].”

The task force’s first meeting on Tuesday was closed to the public and the media but included the heads of multiple federal departments and agencies along with witnesses who provided testimony on anti-Christian bias within the federal government.

President Donald Trump formally established the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias on Feb. 6 by executive order. His order commissioned a comprehensive review of federal departments and agencies, particularly to reverse certain actions of the previous administration.

Specific concerns of anti-Christian bias

A news release following the meeting detailed some of the concerns and policies administration officials are reviewing.

One Catholic-specific concern discussed in the meeting was the since-retracted January 2023 memo from the Richmond Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which detailed an investigation into supposed ties between “radical traditionalist” Catholics and “the far-right white nationalist movement.”

The document called for “trip wire or source development” within Catholic parishes that offer the Traditional Latin Mass and within online Catholic communities. Later revelations from the House Judiciary Committee found that the Richmond FBI used at least one undercover agent to obtain information on traditionalist Catholics and coordinated with other FBI field offices on the matter.

According to an April 22 news release after the task force meeting, Trump’s FBI director, Kash Patel, discussed “the impact of the anti-Catholic memo” during the gathering and “reiterated the FBI’s commitment to rooting out any anti-Christian bias that could be directing decisions or investigations.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the news release notes, brought up concerns about bias against a Christian Foreign Service Officer who “was threatened with an investigation for child abuse” for insisting on home-schooling his child.

According to the news release, Rubio also expressed disapproval of the Department of State stigmatizing workers who opposed the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds and retaliation against employees for “opposing DEI/LGBT ideology.” 

For her part, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon discussed concerns about gender ideology in education policies and school districts socially transitioning children without their parents’ knowledge. 

Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender voiced concerns about the Biden administration removing certain tax classifications from Christian and pro-life organizations and objections to debanking.

Michael Farris, an attorney and founder of Patrick Henry College, was one of the witnesses. Farris called attention to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigating and charging Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel for alleged Johnson Amendment violations.

Phil Mendes, a U.S. Navy Seal, spoke about how he was relieved of his duty under the Biden administration for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

CNA reached out to the DOJ and FBI for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

“As shown by our victims’ stories today, Biden’s Department of Justice abused and targeted peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses,” Bondi said in a statement after the meeting. “Thanks to President Trump, we have ended those abuses, and we will continue to work closely with every member of this task force to protect every American’s right to speak and worship freely.”

Pilgrims line up inside the St. Peter’s Basilica to see Pope Francis lying in state. / Credit: Victoria Cardiel / EWTN News

Vatican City, Apr 23, 2025 / 16:51 pm (CNA).

In the endless lines of pilgrims wishing to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose coffin now lies open in St. Peter’s Basilica, feelings of grief and sadness are the order of the day.

“God took him too soon,” said Carmina, who had come to Rome from southern Italy for the Holy Week liturgical celebrations and after hearing the news of his death, decided to extend her stay.

“I didn’t want to leave without seeing him one last time. I was here on Sunday and saw him pass by from afar. I can’t believe he’s gone,” she told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

In St. Peter’s Square, the thousands of chairs that had been set up for Easter Sunday Mass, one of the most important celebrations for Christians, remain in place. They will now be used to accommodate the tens of thousands of people expected to attend the pope’s funeral, which will be celebrated by  Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“He made the circuit around the square here in the popemobile. It seems as if he wanted to say goodbye,” she reflected.

Next to Carmina, a group of nuns were quietly praying, rosaries in their hands, while leaning against one of the barriers used by the police to create a sort of corridor to manage the flow into St. Peter’s Basilica.

“We’re too distressed to speak or do an interview,” one of them said with tears in her eyes.

Later, a Colombian priest studying in Rome commented that although people knew the pope “was very ill,” it was still a “surprise.”

He watched on the large screens installed in St. Peter’s Square as the coffin with Pope Francis’ body was brought in and confessed that he cried when “the church bells tolled for his death.” 

“He was a great pope,” said Carlo, a young university student who noted that although he considers himself agnostic, he wanted to come by and pray for the late pontiff. This young man, like everyone else in line, waited in line for five hours.

In the flow of people entering the basilica, strangers paused to chat and even make friends. 

Amid the crowd were two priests who work at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. They had the privilege of being part of the cortege that accompanied Pope Francis’ remains from St. Martha’s House.

Father Nicolaus, who is German, said the most important thing for him was to pray for the Church in these times when it’s been sort of orphaned.

“We’ve prayed for the Holy Father and we will now pray for the Catholic Church and for the future, giving thanks for all he has done and praying for the next pope who will come,” he said.

“We pray for the unity of the Church, which is very important at this time,” noted Father Giovanni, an Italian.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.