World Religions News

Cardinals process during the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square, Saturday, April 26, 2025 / Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News

Vatican City, Apr 28, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis passed away Easter Monday, April 21. The 88-year-old pontiff led the Catholic Church for a little more than 12 years. His burial at St. Mary Major took place Saturday, April 26.

Follow here for live updates of the latest news and information on the papal transition:

Archbishop J.Michael Miller, CSB (file photo) / Briancontractor / Wikimeda (CC BY-SA 3.0)

CNA Newsroom, Apr 27, 2025 / 21:48 pm (CNA).

Archbishop J. Michael Miller, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, British Columbia, is calling for prayer after a deadly car-ramming attack claimed at least 11 lives during a Filipino heritage celebration in the Canadian city.

“I was deeply saddened to hear of the tragic events that took place yesterday during the Lapu-Lapu Day celebration in Vancouver,” Archbishop Miller said in his April 27 statement. “What should have been a joyful gathering to honour Filipino heritage has been overshadowed by sorrow and shock.”

A man drove an SUV into crowds attending the Filipino community’s Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party in Vancouver, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 20 others.

Vancouver Police said they arrested a 30-year-old suspect at the scene after the incident, which occurred around 8:14 p.m. local time.

Interim Police Chief Steve Rai told journalists the attack is not believed to be terrorism-related, noting the unnamed suspect was known to “police and healthcare professionals related to mental health.”

The street festival celebrated Datu Lapu-Lapu, a national hero of the the Philippines.

“The Filipino community is a vibrant and faith-filled part of our archdiocese,” said Archbishop Miller. “In moments like this, your spirit of hope, resilience, and deep trust in God’s providence shines even amid darkness.”

The archbishop encouraged prayer for those affected by the violence.

“I encourage all of us to come together in prayer, asking the Lord to pour out his mercy upon those affected and to grant strength to all who are carrying heavy hearts,” he said. “May our Blessed Mother intercede for us, bringing comfort and healing to Vancouver.”

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed solidarity on X with the victims’ families on April 27, saying, “Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Those families are now living every family’s nightmare. I know that I join all Canadians in mourning with you.”

Scenes from the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, 2025 / Vatican

Rome Newsroom, Apr 27, 2025 / 21:29 pm (CNA).

The six-kilometer journey that transported Pope Francis’ body from St. Peter’s Basilica to St. Mary Major featured profound symbolism and emotion. Here are some of the more significant moments:

Departing through “the door of his home”

After the funeral Mass, pallbearers carried the coffin not through St. Peter’s Square but via the Perugino Door, steps from Casa Santa Marta — the Pope’s Vatican residence throughout his 12-year pontificate — from which he often “escaped” for surprise visits around Rome.

The Mexican popemobile as hearse

In a gesture rich with meaning, the coffin was transported in a white popemobile that Mexico had gifted to the Vatican in 2017 — a modified Dodge Ram that the pope used during his historic 2016 visit to the country. Pope Francis’ apostolic journey to Mexico lasted six days, from Friday, February 12, to Wednesday, February 17, 2016, when he visited five Mexican cities.

From Vatican to Rome crossing the Tiber

The procession crossed the Tiber River via the Prince Amadeo of Savoy Bridge, symbolically marking the passage from Vatican City to Rome. This moment represented Pope Francis’ intimate connection with his role as Bishop of Rome.

The Bishop of Rome’s final journey

Amid applause from attendees, the procession advanced along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, one of Rome’s main arteries, where thousands of faithful gathered to bid their final farewell to the Argentine pontiff. The route also included the iconic Piazza Venezia, Rome’s neuralgic center, before turning toward the Imperial Forums, connecting Francis’ pontificate with the Eternal City’s millennia of history.

Passing the Jesuit church

Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pontiff in history, maintained a special relationship with the Church of the Gesù in Rome, the main headquarters of the Society of Jesus. On July 31, 2013, the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, he presided at a concelebration in this church. During each apostolic journey outside Italy, he sought to meet with local Jesuits.

The Colosseum and his final Way of the Cross

One of the most moving moments was when the coffin passed by the Roman Colosseum. As pope, Francis presided each Good Friday over the traditional Way of the Cross, praying for peace and remembering Christian martyrs. Due to health problems, Pope Francis had been unable to preside over this prayer at the historic site since 2023.

The Via Merulana and Corpus Christi

Traveling along Via Merulana, the procession left the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Rome diocese, in the background, recalling Francis’ special bond with his role as Bishop of Rome.

Via Merulana is the traditional route for Corpus Christi processions in Rome, dating back to Pope Gregory XIII, who established this route for religious processions between the two basilicas during the Jubilee of 1575.

Peter returned to his Mother: St. Mary Major

The culminating moment was the arrival at St. Mary Major Basilica, where Francis chose to be buried due to his profound devotion to the Byzantine icon of the Salus Populi Romani. This place held special significance for him, as he visited before and after each apostolic journey to entrust his mission to the Virgin Mary.

Francis rests near St. Jerome and Bernini

Besides Pope Francis, seven other pontiffs, various saints, and famous figures are buried in this church. Some have special connections to the late pope, including St. Jerome, whom Francis honored by instituting the Sunday of the Word of God on the saint’s liturgical memorial.

His tomb is steps away from Argentina in Rome

St. Mary Major Basilica is located just steps from the most Argentine place in the country: the Argentine embassy to Italy. Francis never returned to his homeland after being elected pontiff, and rumors circulated for years about his desire to be buried in Buenos Aires.

White roses from St. Thérèse of Lisieux on Pope Francis’ tomb

Pope Francis had a special devotion to the French Carmelite mystic, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whose symbol is the white rose. The pope once explained his connection to these flowers, telling journalists in January 2015 after his trip to the Philippines: “When I don’t know how things will go, I have the habit of asking St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus to take the problem in her hands and send me a rose.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Francis greets young people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Wednesday general audience on April 17, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Apr 27, 2025 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

In a video message published after his death, but recorded in January, Pope Francis encouraged young people to work on listening well to others.

The video, shared by the Italian weekly magazine “Oggi,” was made public one day after the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, who died at the Vatican on April 21. 

In the video, recorded on Jan. 8, Pope Francis addressed a group of teens and young adults participating in “Listening Workshops,” an initiative started by the Italian Luca Drusian.

According to Vatican Media, the idea behind the workshops is for young people to discuss different topics while experiencing the beauty of both listening to others and being heard.

“Dear boys and girls, one of the most important things in life is to listen — to learn how to listen,” Francis said in the recording, taken in his Santa Marta residence.

“When someone speaks to you, wait for them to finish so you can really understand, and then, if you feel like it, respond. But the important thing is to listen,” he said, explaining they should not rush to give an answer.

The pope said, “look closely at people — people don’t listen. Halfway through an explanation, they’ll answer, and that doesn’t help peace. Listen — listen a lot,” he urged.

Francis also told young people to listen to their grandparents, who “teach us so much.”

The posthumous papal message was made public as an estimated 200,000 people, many of them teenagers, attended Mass in St. Peter’s Square on the morning of April 27.

The Mass was celebrated both as part of the Church’s second day of the “novendiales,” nine days of mourning, for Pope Francis, and as part of the Jubilee of Teenagers, which took place in Rome April 25-27.

The day after the late pope’s funeral and burial, tens of thousands of people visited his tomb in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. In the afternoon, Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, coadjutor archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, led vespers in a packed basilica. The College of Cardinals also attended.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin presides over the solemn Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2025, held in St. Peter’s Square, highlighting the need for the Church to follow in Pope Francis’ footsteps as “instruments of mercy for humanity” in the world today. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/Vatican Media

Vatican City, Apr 27, 2025 / 09:45 am (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin presided over the solemn Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday held in St. Peter’s Square, highlighting the need for the Church to follow in Pope Francis’ footsteps as “instruments of mercy for humanity” in the world today. 

“Only mercy heals and creates a new world, putting out the fires of distrust, hatred, and violence: This is the great teaching of Pope Francis,” Parolin said in his Sunday homily.

“Pope Francis was a shining witness of a Church that bends down with tenderness toward those who are wounded and heals with the balm of mercy,” he added. 

Approximately 200,000 people participated in the outdoor Mass offered for the late pontiff on the second day of the Church’s “Novendiales” mourning period, the Holy See Press Office reported. 

“Brothers and sisters, precisely on Divine Mercy Sunday we remember our beloved Pope Francis with affection,” Parolin said. “It is precisely the Father’s mercy, which is greater than our limitations and calculations, that characterized the magisterium of Pope Francis and his intense apostolic activity.”

Insisting that people’s affections for the late pope “must not remain a mere emotion of the moment,” Parolin said “the Church must welcome his legacy” by “opening ourselves to God’s mercy and also being merciful to one another.” 

Tens of thousands of young pilgrims, who took part in Jubilee of Teenagers festivities from April 25-27, were also present at the Divine Mercy Mass dedicated to the late pontiff, including several European scouts groups, such as Italy’s Scouts D’Europa, and American parish groups, including youth from the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, Virginia.

Addressing the throngs of teenagers present in the square — many of whom were shielding themselves from the hot morning sun under colorful hats and umbrellas — Parolin encouraged them to be close to Jesus Christ and to show his “merciful face” to all those they encounter in life.

“I address a special greeting to you, with the desire to make you feel the embrace of the Church and the affection of Pope Francis, who would have liked to meet you, to look into your eyes, and to pass among you to greet you,” Parolin said to applause from those gathered in the square. 

“[Jesus] comes to meet you where you are, to give you the courage to live, to share your experiences, your thoughts, your gifts, and your dreams,” he said to young people. “He comes to you in the face of those near or far, a brother and sister to love.” 

The Mass celebration for the second Sunday of Easter concluded with the singing of the midday Regina Coeli prayer before an image of the icon of “Salus Populi Romani” (“Health of the Roman People”) placed next to the main altar erected in St. Peter’s Square.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin presided over the solemn Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday held in St. Peter’s Square, highlighting the need for the Church to follow in Pope Francis’ footsteps as “instruments of mercy for humanity” in the world today. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Apr 27, 2025 / 09:45 am (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin presided over the solemn Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday held in St. Peter’s Square, highlighting the need for the Church to follow in Pope Francis’ footsteps as “instruments of mercy for humanity” in the world today. 

“Only mercy heals and creates a new world, putting out the fires of distrust, hatred and violence: this is the great teaching of Pope Francis,” Parolin said in his Sunday homily.

“Pope Francis was a shining witness of a Church that bends down with tenderness towards those who are wounded and heals with the balm of mercy,” he added. 

Approximately 200,000 people participated in the outdoor Mass offered for the late pontiff on the second day of the Church’s “novendiales” mourning period, the Holy See Press Office reported. 

“Brothers and sisters, precisely on Divine Mercy Sunday we remember our beloved Pope Francis with affection,” Parolin said.“It is precisely the Father’s mercy, which is greater than our limitations and calculations, that characterised the Magisterium of Pope Francis and his intense apostolic activity.”

Insisting that people’s affections for the late pope “must not remain a mere emotion of the moment,” Parolin said “the Church must welcome his legacy” by “opening ourselves to God’s mercy and also being merciful to one another.” 

Tens of thousands of young pilgrims, who took part in Jubilee of Teenagers festivities from April 25-27, were also present at the Divine Mercy Mass dedicated to the late pontiff, including several European scouts groups, such as Italy’s Scouts D’Europa, and American parish groups, including youth from the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, Virginia.  

Addressing the throngs of teenagers present in the square — many of whom were shielding themselves from the hot morning sun under colorful hats and umbrellas — Parolin encouraged them to be close to Jesus Christ and to show his “merciful face” to all those they encounter in life.

“I address a special greeting to you, with the desire to make you feel the embrace of the Church and the affection of Pope Francis, who would have liked to meet you, to look into your eyes, and to pass among you to greet you,” Parolin said to applause from those gathered in the square. 

“[Jesus] comes to meet you where you are, to give you the courage to live, to share your  experiences, your thoughts, your gifts, and your dreams,” he said to young people. “He comes to you in the face of those near or far, a brother and sister to love.” 

The Mass celebration for the Second Sunday of Easter concluded with the singing of the midday Regina Coeli prayer before an image of the icon of Salus Populi Romani (“Health of the Roman People”) placed next to the main altar erected in St. Peter’s Square.

Judy Henderson spent 36 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Now she works with Catholic Charities helping women, children, and families in need. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Judy Henderson

CNA Staff, Apr 27, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Judy Henderson spent 36 years in prison for a crime she did not commit, leaving her 3-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter behind while she was behind bars. Despite the hardship, Henderson never lost hope. Written above the sink in her cell was the Bible verse Jeremiah 29:11, which served as her daily reminder that God had plans for her future.

She didn’t wait around for that future to unfold, however; instead, she got to work helping other incarcerated mothers and still serves in this capacity today. Currently an administrative assistant for Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Henderson continues to assist mothers and families in need.

She has also written a book called “When the Light Finds Us: From a Life Sentence to a Life Transformed,” released on April 15, in which she shares her inspiring story from wrongful conviction to redemption.

Raised in a Christian household, Henderson was the oldest of eight. She grew up, got married, and had her daughter, Angel, and then her son, Chip, nine years later. Her marriage, which was physically and emotionally abusive, ended after 12 years.

Henderson, along with her children, then moved back to her hometown of Springfield, Missouri, to be closer to her parents and for a fresh start. However, within months of the move Henderson was charmed by a new man. 

“He was very suave and debonair and wore a three-piece suit and had been in the ministry and a real estate broker and just everything that you would think a woman would want,” she told CNA in an interview. 

Henderson shared that even her parents loved him because they “thought he was a good Christian.” 

One day he showed up at Henderson’s home with suitcases and told her he was moving in. Henderson was taken aback and told him she wasn’t going to live with a man she wasn’t married to, especially with her children living with her.

When questioned as to why he felt the need to move in, Henderson recalled him telling her: “‘I think you need me. I want to love you and take care of you and the children and for us to be a happy family.’”

“As a battered woman, our thinking and the way we view things aren’t from a healthy lens,” she explained. “And so I was already kind of like Pavlov’s dogs, conditioned, and to be a ‘yes,’ ‘yes sir,’ ‘I want to take care of you’ kind of woman. Never thinking that there was any side to him that was not just good. And I did not see any of the signs. I didn’t even know what to look for because back then we didn’t have the battered women syndrome. We didn’t know the definition of the different stages that battered women go through.”

Soon after, Henderson began to see his bad side, which included dealing cocaine. Manipulated by her boyfriend, the two planned to rob a jeweler in Springfield, Missouri. However, the robbery turned deadly when the jeweler refused to hand over the valuables. Henderson’s boyfriend fired his gun several times, killing the jeweler and leaving Henderson injured.

Both were charged with murder, but only Henderson was sentenced to life without parole for 50 years for capital murder. A major issue in her trial, which was later deemed unconstitutional, was that both Henderson and her boyfriend shared the same attorney. 

“The only reason he had him [the attorney] along with me is to make sure the strategy did not include him or nothing [was] being said bad about him or me taking the stand against him. It was another manipulating tool that he wanted to control,” Henderson said.

Henderson entered prison and admitted that she “was very angry with God.” 

The mother of two was able to see her daughter throughout the years; however, her ex-husband did not allow Henderson to see her son from the age of 5 until 16, causing her more anger.

“There’s two things you can do with anger — you can get bitter or you can get better. And I chose better because nobody cared that I was angry in prison. Everybody was angry in prison,” she shared.

So Henderson started to deal with her anger and “started fighting those emotions that Satan loves for us to feel.”

“I stood on the fact that I was going home because God’s promises are always ‘yes’ and ‘amen,’ and he promised in Jeremiah 29:11, ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ ‘a future,’ and my future was not prison. That’s not what God gave me.”

While in prison, Henderson became a certified paralegal and mentor for others who were incarcerated. She also worked toward legislative reform and led efforts to ensure that battered women could use their histories of abuse as legal defense. Her work in this area led to a landmark decision in Missouri that recognized battered women’s syndrome as legal defense. 

She also pioneered the PATCH (Parents and Their Children) Program, which creates a safer, less traumatic experience for children visiting their incarcerated mothers. A trailer is used outside the prison and is decorated to look like a home with a TV, kitchen, and living room, and children never see handcuffs or guards, only volunteers who escort the children to their mothers. 

“I kept very, very busy being productive,” she recalled. “I thought either you can do the time or the time can do you. And so I did the time. I got educated in every program they had to offer me.”

One program that deeply touched Henderson and brought her back to Christ was Residents Encounter Christ, a Catholic ministry that offered “lifers” — those with a life sentence — a chance at a three-day retreat to encounter Christ, which Henderson said helped her to “understand what the love of God was really about.”

On Dec. 20, 2017, Henderson received an unexpected visitor — then-Gov. Eric Greitens of Missouri. At the sight of him she dropped to her knees crying. He approached her, took her by the shoulders, and said, “I want to apologize for the state of Missouri for not looking at your case sooner, and for you having to spend 36 years of your life locked away. I’m going to, on this day, commute your sentence to life with parole to time served,” she recalled. 

“He opened the door and my daughter came running to me and my son and other family members and two of my attorneys … we were overjoyed, everybody crying.”

Today Henderson works with Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph and uses her skills and talents across departments to help veterans, women, children, and families in need.

“To see those women and those babies, and even the men, come in and be lifted up because of the work that we do is such a blessing and so inspiring for us to be able to be such great instruments for God,” she said.

Henderson recalled how she always saw God’s hand at work in her life and how “God does things in pieces, like a puzzle,” bringing people and events into your life just at the right time “if you follow his lead and let him guide you.”

“I was blessed enough to find my purpose and finding joy inside a dark, horrible, painful place. And so God is everywhere to shine his light … He shines a light for you to follow, and that’s what I did and I was blessed to be able to listen to his voice and to do what I what he created me to do. This was my purpose.”