Late Pontiff remembered in Santa Maria Maggiore (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 08:04:41 +0000
Religion

Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, the archpriest of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, led a Rosary for the late Pope Francis at 9:00 PM on the evening of April 21, the day of his death. During his pontificate, the Pope visited the basilica 126 times to seek the Blessed Virgin’s intercession, and the basilica will be the site of his burial.

“The square in front of the basilica was not enough to contain the affection of those who came,” the Vatican newspaper reported. “The square, and even the surrounding streets, filled with faithful clutching rosaries in their fingers.”

Cardinal Ryłko, 79—accompanied by his coadjutor, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas—said, “We are gathered here at the feet of the Virgin Mary, to pray for our beloved Holy Father, Francis.” He added:

We are all saddened and grieved, but we are equally certain that the God of life will open wide the doors of blessed eternity for him ... O Mary, console our weeping, dry our tears, comfort our pain. Accompany, we pray, our journey towards the risen Lord.