Period of national mourning over Pope Francis’ death declared in PH

National

A PERIOD of national mourning over the passing of Pope Francis has been declared in the country.

Through Proclamation 871 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a period of national mourning will be in effect until the late pope’s burial on Saturday.

During the period of mourning, the national flag shall be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset in all government buildings and installations throughout the Philippines and abroad.

“Pope Francis holds a special place in the hearts of the Filipino people, particularly for his apostolic visit to the Philippines in January 2015, where he offered comfort and solidarity to victims of Typhoon Yolanda and celebrated the resilience of the Filipino faithful despite adversities,” read the proclamation, which was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Thursday, April 23.

Marcos stressed that the pope’s passing is a moment of profound sorrow for the Catholic Church and for the Filipino people, who recognize him as a global leader of compassion and a tireless advocate of peace, justice and human dignity.

Francis served as the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church from March 13, 2013 until his passing on Easter Monday, April 21. He was 88.

Malacañang has confirmed that the President and First Lady Liza Marcos would attend the funeral of Pope Francis.

It has been reported that at least 250,000 will attend the pope’s funeral.

World leaders such as US President Donald Trump, Argentinian President Javier Milei, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to attend the funeral, which will take place on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. (Vatican time) in St. Peter’s Square.