Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday aged 88

 

Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday aged 88

At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:

"Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He 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 One and Triune God."

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told journalists later on Monday that the late Pope's body could be transferred to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning, so that the faithful may pray before his mortal remains.

"The translation of the Holy Father's mortal remains to the Vatican Basilica, for the veneration of all the faithful, may take place on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, 2025, according to the arrangements that shall be determined and communicated tomorrow, following the first Congregation of the Cardinals," Mr. Bruni said.

The Pope was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Friday, February 14, 2025, after suffering from a bout of bronchitis for several days.

Pope Francis’ clinical situation gradually worsened, and his doctors diagnosed bilateral pneumonia on Tuesday, February 18.

After 38 days in hospital, the late Pope returned to his Vatican residence at the Casa Santa Marta to continue his recovery.

In 1957, in his early 20s, Jorge Mario Bergoglio underwent surgery in his native Argentina to remove a portion of his lung that had been affected by a severe respiratory infection.

As he aged, Pope Francis frequently suffered bouts of respiratory illnesses, even cancelling a planned visit to the United Arab Emirates in November 2023 due to influenza and lung inflammation.

In April 2024, the late Pope Francis approved an updated edition of the liturgical book for papal funeral rites, which will guide the funeral Mass which has yet to be announced.

The second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis introduces several new elements, including how the Pope’s mortal remains are to be handled after death.

The ascertainment of death takes place in the chapel, rather than in the room where he died, and his body is immediately placed inside the coffin.

According to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, the late Pope Francis had requested that the funeral rites be simplified and focused on expressing the faith of the Church in the Risen Body of Christ.

“The renewed rite,” said Archbishop Ravelli, “seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”

The Skyward Spark: How the First Balloon Fiesta Took Flight in 1783

The Skyward Spark: Tracing the Roots of the Very First Balloon Fiesta

Long before crowds gathered in awe to watch hundreds of hot air balloons float like colorful jellyfish across the skies of New Mexico, there was a moment—an audacious spark—that ignited the dream of human flight.

Let’s rewind the clock, not just by decades, but centuries. Welcome to the late 1700s.

1783: The Montgolfier Magic

The first true “balloon fiesta” (though not called that at the time) happened in France in 1783, when Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, two paper manufacturers with sky-high ambitions, launched the first hot air balloon in front of a crowd that included King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Their invention—a large sphere made of sackcloth and paper, fueled by burning straw and wool—lifted off from the royal palace in Versailles with a crew of a sheep, a duck, and a rooster. The crowd watched in awe as the airborne barnyard trio soared for 8 minutes before crash-landing about 2 miles away. No animals were harmed, and one very early test flight was deemed a success.

Later that same year, human passengers took their turn in the sky. On November 21, 1783, Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d’Arlandes became the first humans to fly, riding in a Montgolfier balloon above Paris. The flight lasted 25 minutes and covered roughly 5 miles. That moment—full of risk, curiosity, and sheer wonder—was the original spark of the ballooning world as we know it.

A Legacy That Floats On

Fast forward a couple hundred years, and that pioneering energy lives on in modern festivals like the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, where hundreds of balloons fill the sky and thousands of people gather to watch them rise. But in spirit, every balloon that lifts off today is carrying a little piece of that original 1783 magic.

What started with paper and fire, curiosity and courage, became a timeless celebration of flight—a fiesta that’s been centuries in the making.