Pilgrims, tourists in St. Peter's Square for Easter express shock over Pope's death

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 11:06 AM EDT | Last Updated: 44 minutes ago

They had travel from astir the satellite and crammed into St. Peter's Square to perceive Pope Francis present an entreaty for bid on Easter. A time later, the Vatican announced helium was dead.

Tourists and pilgrims who flocked to Rome for Holy Week were dazed with daze astatine quality Monday of the death of Francis, the greeting aft his open-topped popemobile was driven done crowds cheering "viva il papa!" on Christianity's holiest day.

Rev. Bachai, a retired priest from the United States who was in Rome for Holy Week, compared the symptom of learning of the Pope's sudden death to a bruise.

"He appeared successful nationalist yesterday [Sunday], looked healthy. I was truthful shocked, and bittersweet of course," helium said.

"It's precise sad," Ida Marie, who had made the travel from Denmark to Rome, told CBC News. "We were conscionable present yesterday and we saw him alive, and helium was smiling, waving. So we were precise amazed to perceive the quality today. It felt similar the close happening to bash to travel backmost and wage our respects."

Sue Rak, visiting Rome from Ghana with her hubby and child, said she believed Francis "wanted to conscionable God."

"May helium rest in peace. He has done good successful the world," she said. "He wanted to support the weak."

An ambiance of mourning gradually filtered implicit the square as the quality sank successful with some tourists and Romans who had been enjoying a sun-drenched Easter Monday holiday. At noon, St. Peter's bells tolled successful mourning and a soundlessness descended upon the crowd.

"We saw him here, helium was just driven by successful the car. It was shocking quality this morning," said Letizia Bartocci, who works successful a jewelry store a abbreviated region from the square.

Francis's decease was a "real surprise" for Sister Alicia Rios, who's from Mexico. 

"I person been blessed to travel present and to commune for his soul, for him, and convey him for each helium has done for us," she told CBC News. 

While it's "very sad" to perceive of his passing, she added, portion of her feels "in a way, besides happy, because we knew that helium was suffering from his health.

"We conscionable anticipation that truthful galore radical commune for him, and we admit each helium did for us."

"This is thing that truly hits you hard," said Emanuela Tinari, who is from Rome and was with her boyfriend, Gianmarco Omiccioli. "He was a pope who brought truthful galore radical person to the church."

Frank Lavis Tourneta, who was visiting from the French land of Corsica, said helium was moved to find himself successful Rome connected the time of the Pope's death.

"Today I spot a motion of the Christian religion that Pope Francis has died contiguous and gone to heaven. I judge that it is a strong motion for the Christian religion today."