At the Vatican, the mood was a mix of somber quiet among people who knew and worked for Francis, and the typical buzz of tourists visiting St. Peter’s Square on a holiday.
Live view from the Vatican after Pope Francis dies at age 88. He was the first pontiff from Latin America and brought a new tone to the papacy with his informality and humility.
Some didn’t know the news, while others sensed something happening given the swarms of television crews and anchors doing stand-up reports from the edge of the square. The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, wiped tears from his eyes as he met with journalists in the Vatican press room.
Many marveled as they processed what had occurred on Easter a day earlier: With his “Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” and blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, and his surprise popemobile loops through the square, Francis was perhaps saying goodbye in his final public appearance.
The death now sets off a weekslong process of allowing the faithful to pay their final respects, first for Vatican officials in the Santa Marta chapel and then in St. Peter’s for the general public, followed by a funeral to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and a conclave to elect a new pope.