Opus Dei

Pope Leo XIV (United States, 1955) was born in Chicago. On 30 January 2023, Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He was created and proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis on 30 September 2023.

Tomorrow at 10 a.m. (Rome time), the funeral Mass for the eternal repose of Pope Francis will be celebrated in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica. It will be broadcast on the Vatican's official YouTube channel, the link to which can be found in this article.

These are the first words Pope Leo XIV spoke to the faithful from the Basilica of Saint Peter after his election.

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta.

Six days before his death, the Pope wrote a letter to the young people of UNIV. In this video, they thank him for 12 years of closeness. This year, nearly 3,000 students gathered in Rome for Holy Week in the Jubilee year. The 57th edition of UNIV also included a series of cultural events reflecting on this year’s theme: “Citizens of Our World.”

With deep gratitude and joy, we share the letter Pope Francis sent to the young participants of UNIV 2025. We share it with everyone as an invitation to join in prayer for the Holy Father, as he asks us to do in the letter.