Published on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Costa Rican government has declared four days of national mourning in honor of Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88.

The period of mourning began Monday and will continue through Thursday. During this time, all public institutions, ministries, agencies, and government offices have been instructed to lower the national flag to half-staff in tribute to the late pontiff.

Costa Rican representative Amarilli Villegas (right) presented Pope Francis with a gift from the people of Costa Rica in January 2023.
Photo via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pope had a special connection to Costa Rica.  In January 2023, during a New Year’s audience with the diplomatic corps at the Vatican, Costa Rican representative Amarilli Villegas presented the Pope with a gift from the people of Costa Rica: a handmade rosary by artist Paula Sáenz Soto featuring the image of the Virgin of the Angels, along with packages of Costa Rican coffee. Pope Francis expressed his gratitude with a smile, saying, “Costa Rica, the best coffee in the world!”


Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025, at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. The Vatican confirmed the cause of death as a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.

The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, in St. Peter’s Square. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the Mass, joined by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests from around the world.

The funeral liturgy will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and Valedictio, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales,  nine days of mourning and daily Masses for the repose of the Pope’s soul.

Following the funeral, the Pope’s body will be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and later transferred to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment.

Ahead of the funeral, the coffin containing Pope Francis’ body will be moved from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, April 23, to allow the faithful to pay their respects.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will lead the rite of translation, which will begin at 9 a.m. with a moment of prayer. The procession will pass through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, exit through the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square, and enter the basilica through the central door.

At the Altar of the Confession, Cardinal Farrell will preside over a Liturgy of the Word. Public visitation will then commence.

St. Peter’s Basilica will remain open for the faithful to pay their respects on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to midnight, on Thursday from 7 a.m. to midnight, and on Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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What have you heard about Pope Francis’s legacy among Catholic communities and expats in Costa Rica? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com