Pope Francis revealed why 'death is not the end' just two months before he passed away: Vatican releases pontiff's thoughts on the afterlife as he lies in state

Daily Mail​

22-04-2025

Pope Francis did not fear death, but instead welcomed the 'new beginning' of eternal life with God, he revealed in an essay written just two months.
Francis, who died yesterday aged 88, had reflected on death on February 7 this year as he penned a preface for Cardinal Angelo Scola's new book, titled 'Awaiting a New Beginning. Reflections on Old Age'.
'Death is not the end of everything, but the beginning of something,' the pontiff wrote in the preface, which released by the Vatican today.
The Holy Father wrote that 'we must not be afraid of old age' and 'must not fear embracing becoming old', but instead strive to live life on earth with 'grace and not with resentment'.
'It is a new beginning,' Francis said of death. 'Because eternal life, which those who love already begin to experience on earth within the daily tasks of life - is beginning something that will never end.
'And it is precisely for this reason that it is a "new" beginning, because we will live something we have never fully lived before: eternity.'
Francis died yesterday morning after suffering a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure. He had been recovering in his apartment after being hospitalised for five weeks with pneumonia.
He made his last public appearance on Sunday, delivering an Easter blessing and making what would be his final greeting to followers from his popemobile, looping around St. Peter's Square.
The Vatican released the first photos of the late pontiff this morning showing him being laid out in his open coffin for the Confirmation of the Death of the Pontiff ceremony last night.
Around 60 cardinals participated in the first meeting of the Congregation of Cardinals today, which decided that Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday morning. His body will be on public display from tomorrow for mourners to pay their respects.
On Easter Sunday, the Pope had appeared on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to deliver a blessing to 35,000 faithful in St Peter's Square
Francis will be laid to rest Saturday after lying in state for three days in St. Peter's Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history's first Latin American pontiff.
The Congregation of Cardinals met in the Vatican's synod hall for the first time today to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis' successor.
The cardinals set his funeral for Saturday at 10am local time (9am BST) in St. Peter's Square, outside St Peter's Basilica, which can fit about 300,000 people.
The funeral mass will be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
The ordinary faithful will have an opportunity to pay their respects beginning tomorrow morning when Francis' casket is moved into St. Peter's Basilica.
Vatican officials were allowed to start saying their goodbyes yesterday evening after the Confirmation of the Death of the Pontiff ceremony.
The ceremony, which lasted just under an hour, saw Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, read the official declaration of death aloud.
Francis' body was also placed in an open wooden casket in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel. Two Swiss Guards stood at attention as Farrell blessed Francis with holy water.
Photographs released by the Vatican today show the pontiff lying peacefully, dressed in red liturgical vestments with the papal mitre on his head and a rosary in his hand, as the Vatican secretary of state prayed over him.
Seals were also placed on the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace and on the apartment in Chapel of Santa Marta, where Francis had resided.
Per tradition, the camerlengo breaks the pontiff's Fisherman's ring with a special hammer and destroys the dies used to make the papal seal, which is placed on apostolic letters, before sealing the apartment. These items will be buried with the pope.
There will now be nine days of official mourning, but the historic process of the conclave - where cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican to choose the next pope - will not begin for at least 15 days from the date of Francis' death.
The cardinals haven't set a date for the conclave to elect Francis' successor, but the current norms suggest it couldn't begin before May 5.
The congregation also chose three cardinals to help the camerlengo, administer the Vatican during the 'interregnum' period before the election of a new pope.
Farrell will carry out the administrative and financial duties of the Holy See until a new pope takes over.
Those cardinals are the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, archpriest of the St. Mary Major basilica where Francis will be buried, and Cardinal Fabbio Baggio, a top official in the Vatican´s development and migrants office.
They will be replaced after three days with another three cardinals to help the interim Vatican administrator.
The pope's formal apartments in the Apostolic Palace were sealed yesterday evening, following a centuries-old ritual.
Cardinal Farrell, who as camerlengo had the task of announcing Francis' death and confirming it once the cause was determined, presided over the ritual.
Francis chose not to live in the palace, though, but in the Domus Santa Marta hotel on the other side of Vatican City.
He died there and his body was transferred to the hotel chapel in the lobby, where a private viewing is being held today for Vatican officials and members of the pontifical household.
In changes made by Francis last year, his body was not placed in three wooden coffins, as it had been for previous popes. Rather, Francis was placed in a simplified wooden coffin with a zinc coffin inside.
Once in St. Peter's, his coffin will not be put on an elevated bier, but will just be be placed simply facing the pews, with the Pasqual candle nearby.
President Donald Trump has announced he and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend. French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed his attendance, telling reporters yesterday: 'We will attend the pope's funeral as we should.'
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky plans to travel to Italy for the funeral, a source in his presidential office said today.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and first lady Janja Lula da Silva will travel to Rome to attend Pope Francis' funeral, the Brazilian government said in a statement on Monday. Argentine President Javier Milei is also expected to attend the service.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters today that Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose foreign travel is limited by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, 'has no such plans' to attend Francis' funeral.
The rite confirming Francis' death and the placement of his body in the coffin took place last night at the Chapel of Santa Marta. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, read the official declaration of death aloud in a ceremony lasting just under an hour
In his final will, Francis confirmed he would be buried at St. Mary Major basilica, which is outside the Vatican and home to his favourite icon of the Virgin Mary.
Francis would go to the basilica to pray before the Byzantine-style painting that features an image of Mary, draped in a blue robe, holding the infant Jesus, who in turn holds a jewelled golden book.
Francis stopped by the basilica on his way home from the Gemelli hospital on March 23, after his 38-day hospital stay, to deliver flowers to be placed before the icon. He returned April 12 to pray before the Madonna for the last time.
Francis, in his will dated June 29, 2022, revealed that the expenses associated with his burial will be covered by an anonymous benefactor, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reports.
'The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus,' the pontiff reportedly stated in his will.
'The expenses for the preparation of my burial will be covered with the sum of money from the benefactor that I have arranged, to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and of which I have provided appropriate instructions to Monsignor Rolandas Makrickas.'
The pontiff's funeral will be presided over by the dean of the College of Cardinals or, if that is not possible, by the vice dean or another senior cardinal.
The current dean is Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 91. The vice dean is Argentine Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 81.
Cardinals Re and Farrell, the camerlengo, will have key roles in the coming days as they summon the cardinals and prepare for the conclave to elect Francis' successor.
After the funeral, there are nine days of official mourning, known as the 'novendiali.'
During this period, cardinals arrive in Rome to participate in meetings before the conclave to elect the next pope.
To give everyone time to assemble, the conclave must begin 15-20 days after the 'sede vacante' - the 'vacant See' - is declared, although it can start sooner if the cardinals agree.
Cardinal-electors will move into the accommodation within the Vatican, shutting out contact with the outside world. Once the conclave begins, they will gather in the Sistine Chapel to vote in secret sessions.
The Cardinals vote by writing the name of their preferred candidate in disguised handwriting on a card that is then folded in half and placed into a large chalice.
A scrutineer will then remove the cards, reading them out one-by-one, before another cardinal links them together with a needle and thread.
Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. The result of each ballot is counted aloud and recorded by three cardinals.
If no-one receives the necessary two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke.
The process can go to multiple rounds with the same people theoretically getting the same number of votes each time as cardinals wait to see who loses support first.
But slowly, cardinals who voted for someone who only received a very small number of votes are likely to add their vote to one of the stronger candidates in the next round.
Factions may be able to make their views known during informal chats between votes, with key parts of Berger's film showing heated discussions among cardinals in the canteens and cinemas of the Vatican.
When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election.
If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of St Peter's Basilica.
The ballots of the final round are burned in a special stove, with chemicals producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.
Black smoke indicates that no pope has been elected, while white smoke indicates that the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church.
The newly elected Pope will then greet the world on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica where he will make an address.
The senior cardinal deacon will announce 'Habemus Papam' - 'We have a pope' - from the balcony before the new pope proceeds out and imparts his blessing on the city of Rome and the world.
Church rules state the conclave must begin between 15 and 20 days after the death of the pope. There's no limit to how long the process can take, with the longest conclave in history having lasted 34 months.
Cardinals, including the Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, from London, will take part in the vote for the next pope.
Both aged 79, the pair are just below the cut-off for voting as part of the conclave.
While all 252 members of the College of Cardinals can attend, only those aged under 80 can vote - they are known as the cardinal electors and their number is limited to 120. As of Tuesday, 138 are eligible to vote.
Asked about the next pope at a press conference on Monday, Cardinal Nichols told reporters: 'He has to be a man of great inner strength, and I think great inner peace.'
He added: 'I think those inner capacities of closeness to God and peace are the absolute essentials.'
Cardinal Radcliffe said: 'I think that we always open ourselves to be surprised. All recent popes have been quite different from each other.'
Bells tolled in chapels, churches and cathedrals around the world and flags flew at half staff in Italy, India, Taiwan and the US yesterday after Francis' death was announced by the Vatican camerlengo.
Soccer matches in Italy and Argentina were suspended in honour of the Argentine pope who was a lifelong fan of the San Lorenzo soccer club.
Tributes poured in from around the world on Monday, including from the King and other world leaders, with many praising the Pope for his advocacy for the marginalised, moral leadership and compassion. The ordinary faithful remembered his simplicity and humanity.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Pope Francis had been 'a Pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten'.
He was described by the King, whom he met in recent weeks, as someone who had 'profoundly touched the lives of so many'.
China's foreign ministry expressed condolences today following the death of Pope Francis.
'In recent years, China and the Vatican have maintained constructive contact and carried out friendly exchanges,' foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, adding: 'China is willing to make joint efforts with the Vatican to promote the continued improvement of China-Vatican relations.'
In East Timor, where Francis' final outdoor Mass drew nearly half of the population last September, President Jose Ramos-Horta praised Francis' courage.
'Papa Francisco was a brave man who was not afraid to speak out against the rulers of the world who seek war, but do not want to seek peace,' Ramos-Horta said.
'He challenged the powerful to act with justice, called nations to welcome the stranger, and reminded us that our common home - this Earth - is a gift we must protect for future generations,' said Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, who is Muslim.
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and has around 30 million Catholics, representing about 14 per cent of the total population.
Francis tried to maintain the Vatican's traditional diplomatic neutrality when it came to Ukraine, and that led to criticism for what some called an unclear position on Russia's invasion of its neighbour.
He at times expressed apparent sympathy with Russia's rationale for invading Ukraine - like when he said NATO was 'barking at Russia's door' with its eastward enlargement.
And last year he called on Ukraine to show the 'courage' to negotiate peace.
Putin in a condolence message praised Francis as a 'consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice.' Zelensky said his country was grieving and recalled how the pope often prayed for peace in Ukraine.
Francis also had critics who argued that he failed to bring justice to victims of clergy sex abuse or to bring the needed reforms to the church. The Women's Ordination Conference also lamented Francis' unwillingness to push for the ordination of women.
'As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial.
'Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest - awaiting the day of the Resurrection - in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
'I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care.
'I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica, as shown in the attached plan.
'The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.
'The cost of preparing the burial will be covered by a sum provided by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I have given the necessary instructions regarding this to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Basilica.
'May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples.'