Baku Catholic Church opens book of condolences for Pope Francis

A book of condolences has been opened at the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baku, following the death of Pope Francis.

The announcement was made by Toral Aghayev, press secretary of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports.

Members of the public are invited to leave their messages of sympathy in the book from April 22 to April 26, with visiting hours set from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The church has opened this opportunity for people to pay their respects to the late pontiff, who led the Catholic Church for more than a decade.

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and one of the most consequential religious figures of the 21st century, has died at the age of 88, the Vatican announced on April 21.

His death ends a historic and often contentious 12-year papacy defined by sweeping reforms, internal tensions, and global outreach.

“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in a video statement on Vatican TV. “At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father”.

The Pope’s passing came just a day after he made a brief public appearance in St. Peter’s Square to mark Easter—his first since being released from the hospital on March 23 following a 38-day stay to treat double pneumonia.

By Vafa Guliyeva