Christians gather at Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre to mourn Pope Francis
By Alexander Cornwell
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Christians from around the world prayed for Pope Francis at a solemn Mass on Wednesday at Jerusalem's centuries-old Church of the Holy Sepulchre following the pontiff's passing this week.
Some worshippers shed tears under the rotunda as prayers echoed, while others lit candles and knelt at the Stone of the Anointing, the stone slab where it is believed Jesus's body was prepared for burial.
Among those who had gathered to honour Pope Francis was 55-year-old Palestinian Azzam Elias, from Bethlehem, who was only able to attend because he had received a permit from Israeli authorities to enter Jerusalem over the Easter holiday period.
"God bless his soul. Pope Francis is an international figure. He called for peace, love, respect, dialogue between religions. This mass is something simple for such a person," he said.
Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Monday after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest, ending an often turbulent reign in which he sought to overhaul an ancient and divided institution.
"We pray because we are grateful for his work and what he's done for the Church, and we pray for his soul", said 24-year-old Constance, a French Catholic volunteering in Jerusalem.
Constance, who asked that her surname not be published, said that, while not every Catholic had agreed with the late pontiff, it was important to pray for him.
Francis, who became pope in 2013, pursued liberal reforms that were often divisive in the Vatican and beyond.
UNITY
The Mass was led by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa and attended by other Christian denominations in the Holy Land, including from the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Marwan Dides, a Palestinian Franciscan brother in Jerusalem, said the presence of other Christian denominations at the Mass held at one of Christianity's holiest sites was important.
"We always pray for unity between Christians and we still have hope," he said, outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is revered as the site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial.
The Holy Sepulchre is situated in the Old City's Christian Quarter in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and later annexed. The Armenian, Catholic and Greek churches share custody and the Coptic and Syrian churches have rights.
Francis, who had advocated for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, visited Israel and the occupied West Bank in 2014. He went to the Western Wall, the most sacred prayer site in Judaism, and also prayed at a section of a wall built by Israel in the West Bank that separates Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
The Israeli government shared and then deleted a social media post offering condolences over the death of Pope Francis, without saying why, though an Israeli newspaper linked the decision to the late pontiff's criticism of the war in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads a far-right coalition of religious and nationalist parties, has not commented on the pope's death. Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday sent a message of condolence shortly after his passing.
Francis had campaigned for an end to the war in Gaza, phoning the tiny Christian community there every evening.
Relations between the Catholic Church and Judaism have improved in recent decades, after centuries of animosity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump's new FEMA head stuns staff by telling them he didn't know US had a hurricane season, report says
The recently installed head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency alarmed staff members on Monday when he reportedly said he was unaware that the U.S. has a hurricane season, which formally began on June 1. The reported comments are the latest sign of upheaval at the federal disaster-management agency, which the Trump administration says it wants to 'eliminate,' handing many of its responsibilities to state governments. The comments from David Richardson, who has been overseeing FEMA since May, came during a briefing with staff members, Reuters reports, citing four sources familiar with his comments. Richardson, a former Marine artillery officer and Homeland Security official, has no formal disaster-management experience. During the briefing, Richardson also allegedly said he was holding off on unveiling a new disaster plan so as not to contradict the administration's review of FEMA activities, despite previously saying in May one would be ready by later that month. The agency quickly downplayed the reporting, telling Reuters the comments were a joke and that FEMA was prepared for the coming hurricane season. "FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens,' the agency said in a statement. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently warned this year's hurricane season, which runs through November, has a 60 percent chance of above-normal conditions. The agency has been in turmoil throughout the Trump administration. It has reportedly cut back on training for state and local emergency managers, and acting FEMA administrator Cameron Hamilton was fired in May, after he testified in Congress he didn't think the administration should shutter the disaster response body. Hurricane preparations inside FEMA have reportedly slowed in the face of the roughly 2,000 people who have been fired or resigned under Trump. 'As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not well understood,' according to an internal agency review prepared at the direction of Richardson that was obtained by CNN . 'Thus FEMA is not ready.' In January, Trump created a FEMA Review Council to determine the future of the agency. The administration has criticized FEMA from a number of angles, ranging from arguments that it's inefficient, to inaccurate claims the agency diverted emergency funding to house migrants. On the campaign trail, Trump also falsely claimed then Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden didn't visit the disaster zones in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, and that the federal government didn't help people in Republican-leaning areas. Trump has also threatened to withhold wildfire aid to California if it doesn't agree to various policy demands.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What hurricane season? FEMA chief flusters staffers by appearing not to know about peak storm period
The acting head of FEMA left staffers flummoxed after he appeared not to know that the United States had a hurricane season. David Richardson, who has led the federal disaster response agency since May, seemed unaware of the peak storm period that runs between June 1 and Nov. 30. His remarks to that effect came during a Monday morning all-hands meeting, per a report from Reuters. The FEMA head's seeming ignorance comes after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a busier-than-usual hurricane season. Sources familiar with the meeting who spoke to CBS News said that it was unclear whether or not Richardson was actually uninformed about hurricane season. Some speculated that Richardson was making a joke that didn't go over well. Either way, the remark was disheartening for employees of the agency that has long been in President Donald Trump's crosshairs. Richardson's fumbling did little to inspire confidence in the man with zero disaster management experience. The former Marine offered a terse message to staffers at the start of his tenure, warning them not to "get in [his] way." The president has repeatedly floated the idea of terminating federal disaster relief altogether and leaving states to pick up the pieces after hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires. Richardson told staffers he would carry out whatever Trump asked with single-minded intensity. "I will run right over you," he said. "I will achieve the president's intent."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘If they set their mind to it, could cause harm': Heightened security, tensions in DMV after antisemitic attack in Colorado
WASHINGTON () — Security has increased at Jewish buildings around the DMV following Sunday's attack in Boulder, Colo. that targeted Jewish people. 'It's everyone's nightmare,' Gil Preuss, chief executive officer of the Greater Jewish Federation of Washington, said. Capital Jewish Museum reopens week after Israeli Embassy staffers killed He's not surprised by Sunday's incident. 'The level of antisemitism now is so virulent, across the country, and we're seeing it in one attack after another,' Preuss said. Metropolitan Police Department officers set up outside the Capital Jewish Museum. Security has already been tight there following the May 21 . People continue to drop off tributes to the victims. It's a difficult time for many people, especially those who are Jewish. 'I would say as a community right now, we're very suspicious about what's going on,' said David Bloxberg, on vacation from Los Angeles. 'I don't know. I'm not sure what to say. I think it's a dangerous time to be a minority of any type.' Fairfax County police in Virginia and Montgomery County police in Maryland have also increased their presence around Jewish buildings in their communities to reduce anti-Semitic incidents. 'There are hateful, evil people out there who, if they set their mind to it, [they] could cause harm,' Preuss said. Despite the increased security, there are concerns that more attacks against Jewish people could take place. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
