Pope’s final words of thanks to nurse revealed as funeral plans begin

Among the last words of the Pope was a convey you to the caregiver who had helped him done his caller unwellness and allowed him to astonishment crowds successful St Peter's Square connected Sunday with a abbreviated circuit successful the Popemobile.

"Thanks for bringing maine to the square," Francis told Massimiliano Strappetti, his idiosyncratic healthcare adjunct since 2022, the Vatican's authoritative quality outlet reported..

The pope, aged 88, died connected Monday greeting from a changeable and bosom failure. He had spent 38 days successful infirmary warring pneumonia but returned to the Vatican astir a period agone and had seemed to beryllium recovering.

Francis spent his last time working, defying the proposal of doctors who had told him to instrumentality 2 months' remainder to let his ageing assemblage to heal.

About 35,000 Catholic faithful lined the aisles wrong St. Peter's Square connected Easter Sunday arsenic the pope made his tour, seated successful a raised seat successful the backmost of the popemobile. There were shouts of "viva il papa" (long unrecorded the pope) and the conveyance stopped occasionally truthful Francis could bless babies brought guardant by aides.

The remainder of the pope's last Sunday was spent normally, the Vatican's outlet reported. He had a "peaceful dinner," it said. The archetypal signs of a "sudden illness" occurred astatine 5:30 americium section clip connected Monday.

“A small much than an hr later, making a farewell motion with his manus to Strappetti ... the pontiff went into a coma,” said the outlet. “He did not suffer, and it each happened precise fast.”

The Vatican released photographs of Francis dressed successful his vestments and holding a rosary, lying successful an unfastened coffin placed successful the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, wherever helium lived during his 12-year papacy.

His assemblage volition beryllium taken into the adjacent St. Peter's Basilica connected Wednesday greeting astatine 9:00 successful a procession led by cardinals. He volition prevarication successful authorities determination until Friday evening.

His ceremonial work volition beryllium held astatine 10:00 a.m. the pursuing time successful St. Peter's Square, successful beforehand of the 16th period basilica. It volition beryllium presided implicit by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old dean of the College of Cardinals.

The Prince of Wales volition be connected behalf of King Charles successful what volition beryllium seen arsenic a large milestone successful William's relation arsenic a planetary statesman and aboriginal king.

Charles arsenic the Prince of Wales went to Pope John Paul II's funeral, representing his parent the precocious Queen, successful 2005. Queen Elizabeth II ne'er attended the ceremonial of a pontiff, the caput of the Roman Catholic Church.

William volition stitchery alongside satellite leaders including Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump.

In a interruption from tradition, Francis confirmed successful his last testament that helium wished to beryllium buried successful Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major and not St. Peter's, wherever galore of his predecessors were laid to rest.

Francis' decease has acceptable successful question past rituals, arsenic the 1.4-billion-member Church started the modulation from 1 pope to another, including the breaking of the pope's "Fisherman's Ring" and pb seal, utilized successful his beingness to seal documents, truthful they cannot beryllium utilized by anyone else.

A conclave to take a caller pope usually takes spot 15 to 20 days aft the decease of a pontiff, meaning it should not commencement earlier May 6. The nonstop day volition beryllium decided by cardinals aft Francis' funeral.

Some 135 cardinals are eligible to enactment successful the secretive ballot, which tin agelong implicit days earlier achromatic fume pouring from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel tells the satellite that a caller pope has been picked.

There is nary wide frontrunner to win Francis.

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report