Massachusetts Orders Flags Lowered After Pope Francis’ Death
Massachusetts has ordered flags to be lowered on state buildings after Pope Francis died from a stroke Monday. The religious leader was 88. Following the White House’s call to lower…
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – JANUARY 16: Pope Francis waves to thousands of followers as he arrives at the Manila Cathedral on January 16, 2015 in Manila, Philippines. Pope Francis will visit venues across Leyte and Manila during his visit to the Philippines from January 15 – 19. The visit is expected to attract crowds in the millions as Filipino Catholics flock to catch a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic Church in the Philippines for the first time since 1995. The Pope will begin the tour in Manila, then travelling to Tacloban to visit areas devastated by Typhoon Haiyan before returning to Manila to hold a mass at Rizal Park. The Philippines is the only Catholic majority nation in Asia with around 90 percent of the population professing the faith. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
Massachusetts has ordered flags to be lowered on state buildings after Pope Francis died from a stroke Monday. The religious leader was 88.
Following the White House's call to lower U.S. flags nationwide, Governor Maura Healey issued the order. She said in a statement on Twitter/X: "I join with my fellow Catholics and people around the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis... His life was a commitment to our sacred responsibility to care for others, especially the most vulnerable among us."
The pope fell into a coma on April 21 due to heart failure, marking the end of his struggle with health problems that began with double pneumonia months earlier.
The funeral Mass will take place in St. Peter's Square on April 26.
People can pay their last respects at St. Peter's Basilica starting April 23. Cardinal Kevin Farrell will lead a somber procession through Vatican grounds before the burial.
Francis chose differently from those before him, picking the Basilica of St. Mary Major as his burial place outside Vatican walls - a church where he often went to pray before making important decisions.
In his 12 years as pope since March 2013, this first Latin American and Jesuit leader dedicated himself to social justice, touching the lives of millions worldwide.
Cardinals will gather in secret at the Sistine Chapel to choose the next Catholic leader after nine days of mourning.
Massachusetts, home to one of America's biggest Catholic communities, will keep flags lowered until after the burial ends.
