François, pope until the end

Finally, Pope Francis died almost suddenly, the day after Easter day. And if he could not pronounce his traditional appeal for peace himself since the loggia of the Saint-Pierre basilica, he could still give the blessing Urbi and Orbi in front of the cameras of the whole world.

After this solemn moment, François, against all odds, traveled the assembly crowd at Place Saint-Pierre and via della conciliazione aboard the papamobile. This will have been his last public appearance. Like an allegory of his pontificate, François – who was a pope close to people – will have reserved his last moments for the faithful around the world.

His last days marked by important decisions

A few minutes earlier the same day, before giving the Urbi and Orbi blessing, he received the American vice-president at the Sainte-Marthe residence, the Catholic JD Vance. Even if the meeting only lasted a few minutes-the time to exchange their wishes at Easter-it was an illustration of the will of François and the Holy See to show that the Argentinian Pope still ruled the Catholic Church, despite his visible weakness.

With the exception of Holy Week, where the Vatican government activity is reduced to make way for ceremonies, the last days have been marked by important decisions. Bishops have been named around the world, made reforms and sent messages.

Unlike John Paul II, whose long agony saw the Church be governed by those around him rather than by himself; Unlike Benoît XVI, who had acted that the charge was too heavy for his weaknesses due to age, François will have led the Catholic church with his own hand to the end.