5:00 P.M. UPDATE:
Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Flowery Branch held a noontime mass Monday in remembrance of Pope Francis who died overnight. Click here to view it:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19Bn7ZupGS
10:00 A.M. UPDATE:
Tributes to the Pontiff are pouring in from the around the world and here at home following the death early Monday of Pope Francis.
“With deep sorrow and firm faith, we entrust the soul of Pope Francis into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father,” a Facebook posting from Gainesville’s Mision Catolica San Juan Pablo II reads. “A true shepherd after Christ’s heart: he walked with the poor, preached mercy, and lived the Gospel with humility and joy. His pontificate was a light in our times, always pointing to Jesus and God’s infinite love.
“Let us pray for the eternal repose of his soul and give thanks for the gift of his life and testimony. May he rest in peace. Amen.”
(Pictured: Pope Francis at Easter Services Sunday at the Vatican.)
And this from Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Flowery Branch:
“As we pray for our beloved Pope Francis the chapel at Prince of Peace will be open all day today and Fr. Pete will celebrate Mass in the church today at noon. Mass will also be live streamed.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”
EARLIER STORY. POSTED 6:45 A.M. MONDAY:
(SRN NEWS/AP) – Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He was 88.
Bells tolled in church towers across Rome after the announcement, which was read out by Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived.
“At 7:35 (1:35 a.m. EDT) this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,″ Ferrell said.
Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.
But he emerged on Easter Sunday — his last public appearance, a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause. Beforehand, he met briefly with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Francis performed the blessing from the same loggia where he was introduced to the world on March 13, 2013 as the 266th pope.