Following the April 21, 2025 death of Pope Francis, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception will toll its bells 88 times at noon today, April 21, to commemorate the 88 years of Pope Francis’s life.
At 12:10 p.m. today, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, will celebrate a Memorial Mass for the late pope. It will be concelebrated by Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, and Cardinal Wilton Gregory and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the former archbishops of Washington.
The Mass will be live streamed at: https://www.youtube.com/embed/LMaANlC-J5s?si=ovaFxLBCUPEVgfuU. It is also scheduled to be aired on EWTN.
Pope Francis visited the National Shrine on Sept. 23, 2015 during his apostolic journey to the United States. At the National Shrine, the Holy Father celebrated the Canonization Mass of Junípero Serra on the Basilica’s East Steps with a congregation of 25,000.
“This morning, we join the world in sadness at the news of the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis. We also join in the chorus of prayers for his eternal rest. In a particular way, we at Mary’s Shrine are saddened because we knew the Holy Father personally,” Msgr. Walter Rossi, rector of the National Shrine, said in a statement. “As the first Pontiff from the Americas, the Holy Father himself came on pilgrimage to the Basilica in 2015 to canonize Fray Junípero Serra, marking the first canonization on United States soil. His visit left a lasting impact upon us at Mary’s Shrine, this city of Washington D.C., and this nation.
“We also give thanks to God for his 55 years as a priest, his 32 years as a bishop, and 12 years as Pope. A life of service to the Church and to God’s people, we remember him and strive to ‘go out to proclaim the merciful embrace of the Father’ as he urged in his 2015 homily at the Basilica. May he rest in peace and Our Lady usher him into the presence of her Son.”
