The commander in chief was flanked by first lady Melania Trump and a person in a giant Easter Bunny costume as he solemnly remarked on the death of Pope Francis from the historic

On Monday, Gov. Tim Walz issued the proclamation, ordering all U.S. and Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state buildings until the day of Francis' interment.

Following the news of Pope Francis’ death on Monday morning, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. and state flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the pontiff, according to a presidential proclamation.

Navarrosa, who is currently writing his thesis on the pope’s 2016 encyclical 'Amoris Laetitia,' recalls meeting Francis in 2021 and says he had hoped to meet him again. “I’m not worried about the future of the church, because it is guided by the Holy Spirit,” he says.

Pope Francis' funeral services will take place this weekend. Here's what to know about arrangements, how to watch, and where he'll be buried.

Francis never gave an explicit answer for not returning as pontiff to his native country, but some experts say he worried about having his presence used for political purposes.

Argentina-born Pope Francis, who died on Monday, is being honoured at his local hometown soccer club in Buenos Aires, San Lorenzo de Almagro, where the football-loving head of the Roman Catholic Church remained a member during his 12-year papacy.

Maria Teresa Delgado holds a portrait of the late Pope Francis during Mass at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican’s announcement of his death in Buenos Aires,