This morning, the world was shaken by the heartbreaking news of Pope Francis’s passing, announced by the Vatican on Easter Monday. The Pope, who had been battling double pneumonia, made a final public appearance just a day prior at St. Peter’s Square, where he offered blessings and Easter wishes to tens of thousands of Catholics.
Although visibly frail and in a wheelchair, he delivered a powerful Easter message—this time through a Vatican archbishop—touching on global conflicts, rising antisemitism, and the urgent need for peace and religious tolerance. As Rome filled with mourners and the faithful, a lingering question settled in the air: had the world just witnessed his last public prayer?