Franklin received his priestly formation in our country, in the Bidasoa international seminarthanks to the help that the benefactors of the CARF Foundation provide with such generosity. He is in Pamplona studying theology and is very clear about his vocation.
Good priestly formation is necessary to be a good priest
Before meeting the Lord and discovering his priestly vocation, he thought that happiness came from having a ball at his feet, like so many young men in his country. His father, Vincent, was not very religious. His mother was more so and taught him the basics of the faith from an early age, although the Church did not appeal to him at all. But that Mass changed everything. He could hear God speaking to him.
Then, he began to take the Christian life seriously. He started going to Mass more often. He entered a Chrism course, received the sacrament of Confirmation and began to help in the parish as a catechist and preacher in a prayer group.
Jeususus became the pillar of her Christian existence, where her desire to receive a solid and deep formation was consolidated as an essential element of her life, motivating her search for a continuous and meaningful formation. This journey was fundamental for his personal and spiritual development, becoming a transforming process that defined his faith journey.
This whole process fueled his desire to make Jesus Christ known to others, while nurturing his priestly vocation without being very conscious of it. He recognizes that being well formed is essential for spiritual growth and maturity in faith, as well as an invaluable resource for the integral formation of new generations. His experience shows that study and formation not only transforms lives, but also strengthens the community as a whole.
Discovering vocation: "Christ is what makes me happy".
Little by little he discovered that it was Jesus Christ who gave fullness to his life and made him truly happy. Until then he had never considered his priestly vocation, but his pastoral work in the parish made him realize that the people needed shepherds.
"I had a deep conversation with my parish priest and began my vocational journey. After two years of participating in vocational meetings, I discerned my priestly vocation and my path to happiness. To make Jesus Christ known and to make people friends of God is the mission I hope to carry out throughout my life".
The Bidasoa international seminar, a blessing
After studying philosophy at the Pontifical University of Rio de Janeiro, his bishop sent him to complete his studies at the Bidasoa International Seminary and in the Faculties of Ecclesiastical Studies of the University of Navarra. There he had the opportunity to experience the richness of the Universal Church, living with seminarians from different countries. "It is like living a new pentecost".
For Franklyn, Bidasoa is a blessing for the theological formation of the priest. He received a very good formation that allowed him to grow in friendship with Christ and to mature in his vocation.
Being a priest and fostering vocations among young people
As Pope Francis said, we are living a "change of epoch". Many young people are far from God and the Church. "If we want to foster priestly vocations," says Franklyn, it is essential that the people pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers. Priests have to witness to the beauty of the priestly vocation. A priest of the 21st century must be above all a friend of Christ.who witnesses with his life to his love for the Church and for souls".
Secularization and evangelization
In Brazil, secularization and the irruption of Protestantism threaten the life of the Catholic Church. "Today more than ever, the Church has the obligation to announce the good news of Jesus Christ, to promote the encounter of young people with the Person of Jesus, so that they may discover in Him the sure path to happiness". In the face of secularization, Franklyn proposes to live the faith as witnesses of the Risen One and, in the face of Protestantism, to present the truth of the faith. present the truth of the faith.
"The most important apostolic needs of Rio de Janeiro are: the personal conversion of each Christian and, from there, to promote an evangelization that presents all the richness and truth that Jesus Christ entrusted to the Catholic Church".
Marta SantínJournalist specializing in religious information.
The priest, psychology of a vocation
A book that raises many questions about happiness and the vocation of the priest: Is the figure of the Catholic priest still attractive? Can a person who renounces marriage be happy? When to advise against the priesthood or other specific paths of dedication? Christian? These and other questions find useful answers, sprinkled with real life and pastoral experience.
The book shows the inner world of the one who responds to God's call
The author of Psychological and spiritual maturity addresses the luminous panorama of the Christian vocation, beginning with the priesthood. The identity and mission of the priest, as of other vocations within the Church, are understood in the light of Jesus Christ, who came to earth to serve and not to be served.
The priest - the book explains - must see the sacred in others, confirming them in their value; and, at the same time, bring the divine, the sacred, to each person. This is the mission that characterizes him and from which comes his dignity and great responsibility before God, before each person and before society as a whole.
It introduces the psychological dynamics, its conflicts and challenges, its sources of peace and harmony. Being a priest implies giving light, comfort and hope.The Church, insofar as it strives to identify itself with Jesus Christ, God made man.
Many of the above ideas apply to other forms of vocation within the Church, especially if they assume the gift of celibacy.
"Life is attained and matures as it is given to give life to others." Document of Aparecida, 2007, quoted in Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, November 24, 2013, n. 10.
Jesus Christ is the common model for happiness
In the first chapter, the process of maturity is presented, underlining the freedom and the moments of crisis along the development. The notes of a mature personality are defined, in order to welcome and make fruitful the free gift of a divine call.
How to discern that call, with the types of vocationThe examination of the person's aptitudes and intention is the subject of the second chapter. It is also mentioned when it is necessary to have recourse to psychologists, following the guidelines of the Ratio for the formation of priests, of the Congregation for the Clergy: The Gift of the Priestly Vocation, 2016.
Wencesleao Vial, cars of the book. Photo via Zenit.
Harmony of daily life
The third chapter is entitled Harmony of daily life. Here we distinguish between and explain the concepts of good loneliness and harmful loneliness. The psychological importance of prayer and the need for a healthy balance between activity and rest are discussed in depth. Healthy habits and hobbies form a special section, which shows in its development the unity of the three human dimensions: physical, psychic and spiritual.
A dimension of particular strength in the individual is the sexuality. The fourth chapter explains how it can be a source of joy or tormentdepending on whether it is integrated or not, whether it lives humanely or not.
The theme of human love, the understanding of which is the basis for understanding divine love and self-giving, is addressed. It touches on psychological and behavioral obstacles, in particular pornography and homosexual activity, which hinder a serene advancement in the vocation; and ends with some notes on spiritual paternity and the defense of a charism: the celibacy.
Priest burnout
The fifth chapter analyzes a frequent phenomenon among many service professions or professions on which others depend: burnout, with reference to pastoral practice. The forms of presentation, the persons at risk, and the how to deal with and prevent it. All with the intention of better understanding this picture, similar to depression, which makes many people suffer in different environments, including priests and people engaged in the apostolates of the Church.
The last chapter presents a series of attitudes for the prevention of psychic symptomatology. It deals with the mindfulness or focused awareness and its relationship with Christian meditation and the presence of God. Self-transcendence as an essential characteristic of the human being is related to the apostolic mission and pastoral challenges.
It ends with a reference to the Youth and strength of the spirit, capable of overcoming many difficulties and guiding us along paths of peace and joy. At the end there is a list of recommended books and useful websites.
Where to buy it and in which languages it can be obtained
The book The priest, psychology of a vocation is also published in Italian (The priest, the psychology of a vocationEdusc 2021) and in Portuguese (The Psychology of a VocationQuadrante 2021).
Riccardo Dimida tells us how he found his religious vocation as a priest through the grace of God acting in him through small gestures.
It belongs to the Instituto de los Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Marya religious community - or association of the faithful - that centers its spirituality on love and reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in deep communion with the Heart of Jesus. Although there are several communities with similar names in different countries, they all share common elements in their identity and charism.
At present, all the young people of this community are being formed in Rome, at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (PUSC), thanks to grants funded by the CARF Foundation.
Riccardo was born on September 18, 1985 in Volterra, an ancient city of Etruscan origin located in the region of Tuscany, Italy. He is currently in his second year of philosophy, before beginning his bachelor's degree in theology next year. He tells us his story through his testimony.
From a serene childhood to the discovery of a religious vocation
"I was born into a Catholic family that gave me a healthy upbringing and an admirable example. My parents have always been morally blameless people, and they encouraged me to receive a Catholic formation. I grew up in a small village in Tuscany, enjoying a happy and carefree childhood.
After receiving Confirmation, I joined the activities of Catholic Action, where I remained until I was over 30 years old, organizing camps, pilgrimages and leading groups of teenagers and young people.
After high school I entered university, and there I began to discover the world in all its breadth and diversity, something unknown to me as a small-town boy. University life can be very stimulating - sometimes even too much so - and, in fact, I expanded my social circles and friendships.
I participated in student representation groups and in many other activities, some more academic than others. I say "more or less" because, among so many educational and personal development proposals, there is always some unexpected risk. So it happened that, in the first years, the time dedicated to study was scarce. On the other hand, I devoted many hours to all kinds of activities.
I have been playing the guitar since I was 15 years old, an instrument I have always been passionate about. I have been volunteering since I was 17, and I played in my town's basketball team from the age of 7 until I was 25. In addition, I practiced swimming, athletics, indoor soccer and hiking. I have always been attracted to learning languages and getting to know other cultures, and of course, meeting new people and experiences".
Riccardo went to university and there he began his 'exploration' of the world.
"In all this great web of interests and associated amusements, I had the opportunity to live many, many experiences. Unfortunately, not all of them were positive or uplifting: the parties, the friends, the concerts....
The trips -very frequent- gave me the opportunity to transgress the rules, to always step on the accelerator in the search for pleasure and strong emotions.
Those were very intense years at the university, also because, at the same time, I never stopped attending Sunday Mass, participated in pilgrimages and prayer meetings, and collaborated in the diocesan organization of Catholic Action, where I even had organizational roles and responsibilities.
Obviously, what I suffered the most was the study. All this was possible thanks to the energy of my early youth (today I am 39 years old) and the enthusiasm to discover the world and to discover myself.
Inside me it was all a great mix of good principles, though never truly deepened. I wanted my good and the good of others, but I also wanted to enjoy the pleasures of life, and I wanted all of that to happen as much as possible. It was as if I lived one life by day and another by night, trying not to leave anything to experience.
I remember that many times, in spite of coming home very late on a Saturday night (or very early on Sunday morning...), even with little sleep, I still went to Sunday Mass. Anything could happen, but I couldn't stop going to Mass; it was like a card I had to punch at all costs.
At one point, I realized that not everything was going well. I understood that there was a "better way" to do things. I had faith, yes, but I was not living it fully. I remember a friend, with whom I shared much of my faith journey, made me reflect on the fact that abortion is never acceptable, whereas I was convinced that in certain cases it was.
With that realization, something was ignited in me that, since then, has functioned as a true paradigm of life: I understood that there were things that had to be assumed completely or not assumed at all.
I then committed myself to finish my studies and to make the most of them. I started working as a waiter and tutoring math and English in order to support myself during my studies".
A search for meaning in the midst of studies and inner struggle
"After obtaining my bachelor's degree, I started my master's degree and won two scholarships that took me, first, six months in Antwerp (Belgium), and the following year, another six months in Mexico City, at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
They were two important, intense, eventful experiences that involved me both intellectually and emotionally. I took with me from Mexico a strong emotional wound that had consequences for many years to come.
With today's eyes, I realize that it was a great battle that I fought to fulfill my duty as a student abroad. without getting lost in the many, many occasions of debauchery, trying to make the luminous part of me prevail over the dark one.
In those last years, until I obtained my master's degree with the highest qualification, I became much more aware of myself, of the world and of the good and evil that inhabit it. My behavior, both interior and exterior, was contrasting and conflicting, but I still tried to do good, to be close to God or, at least, to return to Him for forgiveness in spite of frequent falls.
After the title, started working as a receptionist in a hotelAfter a year I decided to open a small company together with other partners. We were dedicated to LED lighting, automation and energy saving.
This initiative marked me deeply, as it demanded from me a great commitment, enormous efforts and the assumption of important risks, including economic ones. Although at the beginning it started with enthusiasm and drive - coinciding with the great diffusion of LED lighting in Italy in those years - it soon turned into a whirlwind of difficulties and disappointments.
Also one of the founding partners died of leukemia.with whom I had a very close bond. The subject of illness, and in particular cancer, also entered my family in those years and, since then, it has not left us. To this day, thank God, we are still fighting, living miracle after miracle.
That period, from my master's degree to my work in the company, was for me a source of great physical and psychological stress. It was a very dark period, marked by a work environment that constantly put me in critical situations, while I tried to relieve the stress through toxic behaviors, both towards myself and in my relationship with others.
It is true that a few years earlier I had begun a serious journey of conversion, but my nightlife was still present and I had not yet hit bottom. I couldn't sleep, I had lost weight, and I was living everything in a deeply negative way".
Spiritual paths to your religious vocation
"In my spiritual journey, as the years went by, I moved away a little bit from the Catholic Action and spent time in Communion and Liberation. Subsequently, I approached the atmosphere of the Mass in the ancient rite (Vetus Ordo), which deeply helped me to live the liturgy and the sacraments in a more serious and committed way.
Above all, it allowed me to deepen the doctrinal aspect of the faith: in the truths that we profess as Catholics and in the principles that sustain our religion. It was a fundamental step in my life, since, on the one hand, it accentuated the volitional and demanding character of my faith, but on the other, it laid the solid rational foundations on which my adherence to it rested.
The big step forward came when I hit rock bottom. I was in a deep work and personal crisis: alone, defeated, unable to sleep, increasingly aggressive towards others and myself.
Changing the center of life
"Until then, my relationship with God was like an exchange: I complied and He rewarded me. I had visited many shrines - Lourdes, the Holy Land, Montenegro... - but God took a back seat, and I was the protagonist. Everything revolved around "my effort", "my merit".
In 2018 I found a good job that gave me stability and led me to think seriously about starting a family, fully aware of the difficulties that this implies today for a Catholic.
Then came the COVID years, which caused me much suffering and bitterness because of the way many people reacted: with fear, selfishness and coldness. I lived under great stress and with no clear direction.
In 2021 I made a pilgrimage to Mount Athos with some friends. The sacredness of that place had a profound impact on me, to the point of briefly shaking my faith. In September of the same year I went to Lourdes and prayed fervently to find a spiritual director. A month later, a nun took me to a priest of the Institute, and I finally found the guidance I had longed for.
Consecration and new stage
In June 2022, I consecrated myself to the Blessed Mother as a lay member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Family Movement. Discernment continued, with difficulties, yes, but also with firmness. Finally, in October 2023 I took a leave of absence, and in October 2024 I officially left my job. There are no more "signings" to mark.
Discernment continues, and, as with people, I believe that we never fully know ourselves or God. Today I am in Rome, thanks to Providence, living in a religious institute and studying at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
God's grace acts even through the smallest gestures: a Rosary prayed half asleep, an improvised pilgrimage, a donation. He alone knows the extent of this charity. And it is better this way than to keep on signing up.
Thanks to the benefactors
I want to express my gratitude to all those people I met along the way who literally saved me. Our Lady, inevitably, always led me to Jesus. A special thanks goes to the benefactors of the CARF Foundation, instruments of Providence in the formation of all of us, the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God bless you always!".
Gerardo Ferrara, Degree in History and Political Science, specialized in the Middle East. Head of the student body at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
The X in favor of the Church, a gesture that helps many
Marking the X, a decision that does not cost on the Renta, but does count
When you make your income tax returnYou have the option of marking the X (box 105) to allocate 0.7 % of your full tax liability to the financial support of the Catholic Church. This choice does not imply higher tax payments nor does it reduce the refund you may receive. In addition, it is compatible with box 106, intended for activities of social interest, allowing you to allocate an additional 0.7 % to social projects at no additional cost to you.
Updated data for the 2024 Income Tax Campaign
In the Renta 2024 campaign, corresponding to the 2023 tax year, 208,841 more declarations were registered in favor of the Catholic Church compared to the previous year. This represents a significant increase in taxpayer support.
The total amount allocated to the Church reached 382,437,998 euros, an increase of 23.6 million euros over the previous year. The average contribution per taxpayer who checked the box was 42.5 euros.
Where is the Church box on the tax return?
The box 105The "Tax Allocation to the Catholic Church", is located in the "Tax Allocation to the Catholic Church" section of the page 1 of the Model 100 on your income tax return. If you wish to contribute to the support of the Church, you must check this box. Remember that you can also simultaneously check box 106 to support activities of social interest.
Tax deductions for donations
In addition to the tax allowance, you can collaborate with the Church through donations, which are tax deductible according to Law 49/2002 on Patronage. For example, donations of up to 250 euros have a deduction of 80 %, which means that the Treasury will give you 200 euros back on your income tax return. This tax incentive makes it easier to support the work of the Church and its institutions.
What is the tax allocation?
It is the voluntary option to allocate a percentage of the full membership fee to collaborate with the economic support of the Catholic Church and/or other purposes of social interest.
Marking the X in the box for the Catholic Church in the income tax return does not mean that the taxpayer has to pay more or be refunded less and is fully compatible and independent of the allocation for other purposes of social interest. In both cases, 0.7 % of the total tax liability will be allocated to each option.
On the contrary, do not check any option. It will mean that 0.7 % of the total personal income tax liability will be imputed to the General State Budget for general purposes.
In any case, whatever your decision regarding the tax allocation, does not change the final amount of the tax you pay or the refund to which you are entitled. It does not affect your tax liability.You simply decide where you want a portion of your taxes to go.
Check the X on the web church for so many, and help.
Tax deductions: will I pay more taxes?
Another to help the Church is by carrying out a recurring donation or punctual. Collaborating in this way with NGOs that support the work of the Catholic Church. These donations can be tax deductible in the tax return.
The tax deductibility of donations to NGOs is governed by the new Patronage Law 49/2002, which rewards private efforts in activities of general interest.
Tax benefits for donors
Thanks to the new Patronage Law, donations of up to 250 € will have an income tax deduction of 80 %. That is, by donating 20.83 €/month or 250 €/year, the Treasury will refund you 200 € in your income tax return.
The importance of checking the box for the Catholic Church on your income tax returns
Since 2007 the Church does not receive money from the General State Budget and renounces to the VAT exemption. That year the 1979 Agreement between Spain and the Holy See on economic matters was modified and the box 105 for the support of the Catholic Church was created.
The amount received from taxpayers who check the Catholic Church box on their income tax returns is distributed in solidarity from the Interdiocesan Common Fund.
This fund, which is made up of direct contributions from the faithful and taxpayers, is distributed among the different dioceses according to their size and needs. It accounts for an average of 25 % of the financing of the dioceses in Spain.
According to the latest available data, nearly 9 million people mark the "X" in favor of the Catholic Church in our country.
A gesture that the Church appreciates and encourages to continue doing so, in order to be able to continue with all the work it does for the benefit of society as a whole.
The Church in Spain relies on several sources of financing to sustain its activities. The main ones are:
Direct contributions that are made by the faithful (donationssubscriptions, tithes and others),
Collaboration of public administrations (pursuant to Article 16 of the Spanish Constitution),
Management of its own resourcess (equity, provision of services, etc.).
The transparency portal of the Church
The Church in an exercise of transparency, each year reports the amount of taxpayers' tax allocations received each yearand what has been the destination of this amount.
Once this amount is distributed, mainly to the dioceses, it becomes part of their diocesan economy. All this information is reflected each year in the Annual Report of activities of the EEC.
On the website of the Episcopal Conference, each year they report the amount received by checking the box for the Catholic Church on the income tax return.
It has as mission to bring the Church closer to society by promoting measures of transparency and good economic governance in the Episcopal Conference and its works, as well as in the rest of the entities that depend on it.
Destination of funds contributed by checking the church box on the Income Tax Return
The amount from the tax allocation is sent to the 70 dioceses in Spain.. The dioceses integrate it into their diocesan budget to undertake the activities proper to the Church.
More than half of the the expenses of all Spanish dioceses were pastoral and welfare expensesThe cost of the buildings, together with building maintenance and operating expenses.
The Episcopal Conference annually requests information from the dioceses on their consolidated financial accounts, including the parishes, in order to provide transparency to the process and obtain information on the origin of their resources and the applications that have been given each year.
With the action of marking the "X" in the church box on the income tax, we contribute resources for the Church to continue carrying out activities that benefit the whole of Spanish society.
That is why the Church thanks all those Spaniards who contribute with this gesture and with the rest of the campaigns carried out throughout the year to support the religious, spiritual and social work at the service of millions of Spaniards.
This contribution is decisive in sustaining the immense work of the Church, which, in order to continue helping, needs more than ever the collaboration of everyone.
For all these reasons CARF encourages you to check the box for the Catholic Church. in this year's income tax return.
"Prayer and formation help to give the priest an identity."
The growth of the anti-Catholic culture in Poland requires a good spiritual formation and much prayer from all priests, but especially from young people. Poland remains a bastion of Catholicism in Europe, but also shows signs of a secularization that affects especially the youth, hence this priest urges relentless evangelization. Adamski points out that in Poland around 90 % of the population still declares itself Catholic, but of this percentage only 30 % attend Mass on Sundays, a higher percentage than in other European countries.
Torun is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, a canon, mathematician and astronomer known, above all, for being the author of the heliocentric theory that demonstrated that the Earth revolved around the sun. His life and scientific contributions have been some of the clearest demonstrations of the deep bond that has existed throughout history between science and faith.
It is from this Polish diocese that the following comes from Bartosz AdamskiD. in Theology from the University of Navarra and currently also professor at the university that bears the name of this great Catholic scientist in Torun.
"Every year we observe that this percentage goes down. Generally, young people are not interested in the faith, so the culture in Poland is becoming more secular and anti-Catholic every year", explains Bartosz. About this situation, he tells an anecdote: "one of my priest friends is Spanish and when he visited my country during his vacations he told me that Poland is now like Spain thirty years ago. So, we can expect that in the future the Church in Poland will have far fewer faithful. Of course, we as Polish priests try to cope with this trend and, for this, we evangelize, we do catechesis and we form people and ourselves".
The family, key to the spiritual formation of children
Bartosz Adamski entered the seminary of his diocese at the age of nineteen after finishing high school. "My family, that is, my parents and grandparents, have played an indispensable role in the growth of my faith. They gave me the necessary foundations to be a Christian, showed me what an honest life was and taught me how to live in true love," confesses this priest.
About his call, he himself acknowledges that it is a real mystery and that "only God knows how it happened". He admits that he was never an altar boy nor did he participate in parish groups. He simply went to Mass on Sundays and sometimes during the week. For this reason, he believes that his vocation was forged, both in his heart and in his mind, from the time he received the sacrament of Confirmation. "Since I was young, I liked philosophy and I was looking for an answer to the question: how is the world ordered, and then to another: who orders it? So my search led me to the major seminary".
Once ordained, Adamski was sent by his bishop to Pamplona to pursue his doctorate in Dogmatic Theology at the University of Navarre. About this stage of his life, which was from 2018 to 2022 and included the entire coronavirus pandemic, this priest assures us that this time of studies was very important for his priestly life. "I deepened my theological knowledge and gained much experience of church life in a very international environment," Bartosz tells us.
Your stay in Spain and your experience at the university
What struck him most was the university itself: "Its order, its rich library, its well-prepared professors and the academic atmosphere. All this invites you to study". Another lesson that Father Adamski learned from his time in Spain is that to be a good theologian you have to read a lot, work hard and learn the correct methodology.
He makes a special mention of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus that he had to live through in Pamplona. It was a complicated period, but he also found a way to cope with it: "I remember that in our residence the meetings over coffee helped us a lot, so I could talk with the brothers and survive the time of confinement".
A special message to the benefactors of the CARF Foundation
Finally, this Pole has a special message for the benefactors of CARF: "Thank you for your prayers and offerings! Thanks to you priests in many countries can obtain a good formation, and not only theological, to better serve the Church".
Faced with the challenges of today's priests, especially the younger ones, Bartosz Adamski is clear that "the most important thing is the priest's personal relationship with Jesus Christ". Therefore, he stresses that "prayer and the spiritual formation are the key". And he stresses this last point since he believes that study is fundamental for a priest to know what God is like and to be able to respond to the demands of today's world. All this helps - in his opinion - to obtain a priestly identity. "The priest cannot forget who he is," he said.
Death of Pope Francis at the age of 88
Pope Francis has died. His death has been confirmed by the Press Office of the Holy SeeThe Pontiff died at 7:30 a.m. on April 21, 2025:
"Recently His Eminence, Cardinal Farrell, announced with sorrow the death of Pope Francis, with these words: 'Dear brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.
At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father's house. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his Church.
He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized.
With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the Triune God".
After months of treatment for what began as bronchitis in February, the Holy Father died at Casa Santa Marta, even though he had been discharged from the hospital. The Pontiff made several public appearances in recent days on the occasion of the Holy Week and Easter Sunday celebrations.
Over the next few days, anyone who wishes may come to the Vatican to bid farewell for the last time to the Argentine Pope, whose body will rest after the funeral in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
