From the Vatican to the Philippines, Catholics were spending their Easter Monday saying goodbye to their spiritual leader Pope Francis. His death comes at one of the most important times of the year for followers of the Roman Catholic Church, and less than 24 hours after the ailing Pope addressed worshipers in St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. That timing is not lost on Catholics. "He [God] chose the most beautiful day for the Christian Church — he couldn't have chosen a better day," said Father Sergio Codera, a Salesian priest from Spain. He continued: "It [Easter] is the most important occasion Christians celebrate, when we celebrate that death does not have the final word. "And it has been this day that God has chosen for Pope Francis to meet him." In the Vatican, there is shock from those who saw Francis perform his final public duty. "It was very shocking — we just saw him yesterday for the Easter celebration and we received a blessing," one man in St Peter's Square told the BBC. One woman who heard his address said: "He took his duty to the people so seriously — even when he was so unwell yesterday, he still came out, he was still part of the Easter mass, he still got to speak to us." Church bells have been ringing out across Manila, the capital of the Philippines, where worshippers have gathered in churches to pray and reflect on the Pope's death. Around 85% of the nation's population of 110 million are Roman Catholic, making it the church's stronghold in Asia. Among them is Jude Aquino, an altar server who reflected on the Pope's influence on young Catholics shortly after his death was confirmed. He told Reuters news agency: "It's a big hit against the Catholic Church because for the youth like us, he's such a big role model — a role model whom we follow since he's a vicar of Christ." Catholics in rebel-held Bukavu, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, have gathered at Notre-Dame de la Paix Cathedral to mourn. Around half of DR Congo's population is Catholic, the largest such community in Africa. Francis addressed half a million worshipers in the capital Kinshasa in 2023, becoming the first Pope to visit the conflict-ridden country in more than three decades. During his final address on Easter Sunday, the pope called for an end to violence in the country. "Pope Francis was a pope who loved our country, the DRC, very much," Sifa Albertina said outside the cathedral. "He even decided to come to DRC despite his health condition, to meet the Congolese people and share their difficulties. "I saw him come to Congo. May God welcome his soul, because the pope really cared about us." Seven days of mourning have been declared in Brazil, which is home to the largest Catholic population in the world. Speaking outside the Church of our Lady of Lourdes in Rio de Janeiro, worshipper Rosane Ribeiro said: "I thought he was a unique and extraordinary person, also during [the pandemic]. "As a priest, he got up every day to pray for the world... and died at a marvellous and beautiful time [Easter], worthy of him." During his time as Pope, Francis faced criticism at times over his handling of child sex abuse scandals, but was praised by some for speaking with victims and putting in place new rules to hold clergy to account. Juan Carlos Cruz Chellew, who was abused by a cleric in Chile when he was a boy, said one of the few people in the Church willing to listen to him was Pope Francis. He said the Pope became "a real father to me" and changed the Church's attitudes to sexual abuse. Speaking to the BBC's Newshour program, he continued: "He realized he had made a mistake, he was ill-informed, so he invited me and two friends to come over and I spent a week with him in Santa Marta [the Pope's Vatican residence] and he and I talked long hours about the situation. "And ever since he started changing the attitude toward sexual abuse in the church — he was an extraordinary person. "It was incredible to feel listened to... through the years I've told him I feel like Lazarus: you were dead, nobody hears you, nobody cares, and suddenly the most important person does care, and sincerely cares, and makes a big change." The faithful arrived in droves at Mexico City's main religious centre, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to attend a mass for the pontiff and hear the bells ring out in his name — an act which was repeated in churches across Mexico. Some arrived at the church on their knees, dragging their bodies to the church door in an act of contrition and suffering among the most devout. Others simply stood with their heads bowed in quiet remembrance of a man who had stood with Mexico's poorest, including its migrants and victims of violence, on numerous occasions. "He led us by the hand, and he will always be in our hearts", Jonathan Solis told the BBC, speaking in hushed tones at the back of the church. He had brought his daughter with him to pay their respects as a family, he said, and underlined that it was a source of great pride to have a Latin American Pope. "He was so important to Latinos. We can never forget him. That's why so many families have turned out, like him — with their hearts on their sleeves — to support each other through this difficult moment." Elsewhere, mourners gathered for mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, a US city sometimes dubbed the most Catholic in the country. Mary, 70, and Tom, 71, were visiting from Chicago when they learned of the Pope's death and made their way to the cathedral to pray for him. "He was just such a wonderful man, so human, like a normal person — you feel like you could be his friend almost," Mary said. In Spain, where Catholics make up more than half of the population, three days of national mourning have been declared. Nuria Ortega, a civil servant from Madrid, said: "I think he was a person that was accepted by all by Catholic and [non] Catholics and I think he was a person that was open to dialogue." As the search for a successor to Francis began, student Javier Herratia said the church must become more "humble" and appeal to a young generation. He continued: "We will have faith in the Holy Spirit and hope that the next Pope is as good as the rest." — BBC
