Former NewsCenter 5 reporter Kelly Tuthill witnessed Pope’s Easter Sunday blessing in Vatican City
Updated: 6:31 AM EDT Apr 21, 2025
LIVE FOR US IN THE NEWSROOM WITH MORE TODD DOUG ANTOINETTE. GOOD MORNING. THE VATICAN ANNOUNCED THE NEWS EARLIER THIS MORNING, POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, POPE FRANCIS DIED ON EASTER MONDAY, APRIL 21ST, 2025, AT THE AGE OF 88 AT HIS RESIDENCE IN THE VATICAN’S CASA SANTA MARTA, UNQUOTE. OFFICIALS SAY HE DIED AT 735 CENTRAL EUROPEAN TIME THIS MORNING. AND BEAR IN MIND THAT VATICAN CITY IS SIX HOURS AHEAD OF OUR TIME ZONE. A CAUSE WAS NOT REVEALED, THOUGH HE HAD BEEN IN DECLINING HEALTH. FORMER NEWS CENTER FIVE REPORTER KELLEY TUTHILL IS NOW THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF BOSTON. SHE AND HER FAMILY ARE IN VATICAN CITY. THEY ATTENDED MASS THERE YESTERDAY AND KELLEY SPOKE TO US A FEW MOMENTS AGO. YESTERDAY, WHEN WE WERE AT MASS WITH 100,000 PEOPLE, AND THE POPE CAME OUT TO GIVE HIS BLESSING TO THE WORLD. YOU COULD JUST SEE HOW FRAIL HE WAS. HE COULD ONLY SAY A FEW WORDS. I KNOW MANY OF YOU BACK IN BOSTON SAW IT ON TV, BUT HERE IN THE AUDIENCE, EVERYONE WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE HIM. BUT I THINK TAKEN ABACK A LITTLE BIT BY HIS FRAIL FRAGILITY. AND HE DID MANAGE TO TAKE A LITTLE SPIN AROUND IN THE POPEMOBILE. SO HE WENT RIGHT BY US, AND IT WAS AN HONOR AND A THRILL TO SEE HIM, AND WE KNEW HE WOULD NOT BE LONG FOR THIS WORLD, THAT HE WAS JUST GETTING SICKER AND MORE FRAIL. BUT WE NEVER IMAGINED THAT WE WOULD BE SEEING HIM IN THAT CROWD, AND THAT LESS THAN A DAY LATER, HE WOULD BE GONE. JUST TO RECAP, POPE FRANCIS HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 88
A former NewsCenter 5 reporter was in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday and saw Pope Francis as he emerged and addressed the crowd just hours before his death.The Vatican announced Monday that the pope died at the age of 88.”At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said in the announcement.Kelley Tuthill is now the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Boston. She and her family are in Vatican City and attended mass on Sunday.”Yesterday, when we were at mass with 100,000 people and the pope came out to give his blessing to the world, you could just see how frail he was. He could only say a few words. I know many of you back in Boston saw it on TV, but here in the audience, everyone was so excited to see him,” Tuthill said.The pontiff appeared on the balcony over the basilica entrance and gave a blessing. Tuthill said the audience was taken aback by his fragility, but he did take a ride in the popemobile. “He went right by us, and it was an honor and a thrill to see him, and we knew he would not be long for this world. He was just getting sicker and more frail, but we never imagined that we would be seeing him in that crowd, and that less than a day later he would be gone,” Tuthill said. Video below: Scenes from Pope Francis’ final Easter mass
VATICAN CITY, —A former NewsCenter 5 reporter was in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday and saw Pope Francis as he emerged and addressed the crowd just hours before his death.
The Vatican announced Monday that the pope died at the age of 88.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said in the announcement.
Kelley Tuthill is now the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Boston. She and her family are in Vatican City and attended mass on Sunday.
“Yesterday, when we were at mass with 100,000 people and the pope came out to give his blessing to the world, you could just see how frail he was. He could only say a few words. I know many of you back in Boston saw it on TV, but here in the audience, everyone was so excited to see him,” Tuthill said.
The pontiff appeared on the balcony over the basilica entrance and gave a blessing. Tuthill said the audience was taken aback by his fragility, but he did take a ride in the popemobile.
“He went right by us, and it was an honor and a thrill to see him, and we knew he would not be long for this world. He was just getting sicker and more frail, but we never imagined that we would be seeing him in that crowd, and that less than a day later he would be gone,” Tuthill said.
Video below: Scenes from Pope Francis’ final Easter mass
