The entire Church mourns the death of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. In cathedrals, basilicas, parish churches, shrines, and chapels, the Holy Eucharist will be offered for the repose of his soul. Communities and individuals will ask God to bestow his infinite mercy on the man who served the Church as Bishop of Rome.
This novena has been prepared to help pray for the Pope during this time. The daily novena—lasting for the novendiales period as directed by the College of Cardinals—consists of a short reading from Scripture or some other ecclesiastical text and some brief prayers, including orations drawn from the Roman Missal and the Order of Christian Funerals.
“You are Peter…”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (16:13-19)
Pause for silent prayer.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
— And let perpetual light shine upon him.
O God, faithful rewarder of souls,
grant that your departed servant Pope Francis,
whom you made successor of Peter
and shepherd of your Church,
may happily enjoy for ever in your presence in heaven
the mysteries of your grace and compassion,
which he faithfully ministered on earth.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Acknowledgments: Excerpt from the English translation of The Liturgy of the Hours © 1970, 1973, 1975 International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); excerpt from the English translation of the Order of Christian Funerals © 1985 ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010 ICEL. All rights reserved. Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Excerpt from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America, copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Excerpt from Ut unum sint (1995) © Dicasterio per la Comunicazione—Librería Editrice Vaticana. Excerpt from Lumen gentium from The Documents of Vatican II, Walter M. Abbott, ed. New York: Guild Press, 1966. Novena in Memory of Pope Francis © 2025 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.