Faithful can now visit Pope Francis’ tomb in the basilica of St. Mary Major, as the Church commemorates the late Pope with the second day of the Novemdiales, or ‘nine days’ of mourning.
On Sunday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin presided Holy Mass to mark the second day of the Novemdiales, or nine days of mourning and prayer for the late Pope Francis, recalling that mercy offers Christians the golden thread that unites lives to one another and to Christ.
“Mercy takes us to heart of faith,” said Cardinal Parolin at Novemdiales Mass on Sunday, in Vatican.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin invited Christians to look to Christ’s infinite mercy for peace in the world and in their hearts.
In his homily, the 70-year-old Italian-born Cardinal drew inspiration from the day’s Gospel, which recalls the fear and sadness of the Apostles as they huddled in a room after Jesus’ death.
He said this image represents the Church’s state of mind at this moment, as Christians mourn the late Pope, who died on Easter Monday April 21, 2025 and was buried on Saturday.
“The grief at his departure, the sense of sadness that assails us, the turmoil we feel in our hearts, the sense of bewilderment,” he said, “we are experiencing all of this, like the Apostles grieving over the death of Jesus,”
Yet, said Cardinal Parolin, Christ comes precisely in this darkness to reveal Himself in the glory of His resurrection and illumine our hearts.
“Pope Francis reminded us of this since his election and often repeated it to us, placing at the centre of his pontificate that joy of the Gospel,” he said.
Many young people were present at the second Novemdiales Mass, which took place during the scheduled Jubilee for Teenagers.
Cardinal Parolin urged young people to welcome the joy of Easter, even amid the pain of loss, reminding them that Jesus always gives us the “courage to live,”
Cardinal Parolin, who served as Secretary of State under Pope Francis, noted that only mercy heals and creates a new world, extinguishing the fires of hatred and violence.
The late Pope, he added, believed strongly that peace is not possible without recognition of one another and mutual forgiveness.
[More reports from Vatican News].
