Pope Leo XIV expressed his sorrow over the sudden death of an 18-year-old Egyptian youth, Pascale Rafic, who was traveling to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth. The Pope contacted Bishop Jean-Marie Chami to offer spiritual support to the family and community. The Pope is scheduled to meet with pilgrims who were traveling with Pascale. The Pope offered prayers and comfort to those mourning the loss.
10 days ago
Pascale Rafic, an 18-year-old Egyptian pilgrim, tragically died of cardiac arrest in the southern suburbs of Rome on the night of Friday to Saturday, August 2, 2025 2. She was traveling to Rome to participate in the Jubilee of Youth, a major event organized by the Catholic Church as part of the Holy Year 2025 1 2. Rafic had a pre-existing heart condition and had experienced an earlier bout of illness on Friday morning 2.
Pope Leo XIV expressed his "deep sorrow" upon learning of Pascale Rafic's sudden death 1 2. The Holy See Press Office issued a communiqué noting the Pope's sadness 1. Pope Leo XIV contacted Bishop Jean-Marie Chami, Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Greek Melkites for Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan, to convey his "spiritual closeness to the young woman’s family and the entire community" 1 2.
Later on Saturday, Pope Leo XIV met with the group of pilgrims who were traveling with Pascale Rafic at the Vatican 1 2 3. This meeting provided an opportunity for prayer and spiritual comfort for the young people deeply saddened by the tragic news 1 2 5. The Pope assured all those mourning of his "heartfelt prayers" and invoked "the Lord’s comfort and consolation" upon Pascale's family, friends, and all who grieve her loss 1 2.
During his meeting with the pilgrims, Pope Leo XIV offered a reflection on faith and death, drawing on the wisdom of St. Augustine 5. He acknowledged the profound human sadness that death brings, especially when it is sudden and affects someone young and far from home 5. The Pope emphasized that while life is unpredictable and beyond human control, faith in Jesus Christ, who is "life and resurrection," offers ultimate hope 5. He encouraged the pilgrims not to mourn "as pagans do," but to renew their faith in the resurrection and to be witnesses to the Gospel message, supporting one another in their grief 5.
How does the Church view suffering and death?
The Catholic Church views suffering and death not as meaningless ends, but as integral parts of the mystery of life, transformed and given new meaning through the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ .
The Church teaches that suffering, though vexatious in itself and a sign of the body's gradual dissolution, can be embraced by Christians in a new way . Through the acceptance of pain and sickness, permitted by God's will, believers become partakers in the Passion of Christ . By offering up their sufferings, they are united to Christ's act of offering His own life to the Father for the salvation of the world . This perspective allows suffering to become an act of love for the Father, a loving act of surrender to God's providence .
Pope John Paul II emphasized that in Christ's Passion, suffering and death were used to express His obedient love for the Father in the fullest way . Therefore, in union with Christ, human sufferings can also become an act of love . Suffering is seen as an invitation to be more like the Son in doing the Father's will, offering an opportunity to imitate Christ who died to redeem mankind from sin . This means that suffering can enrich both the individual and the entire Church .
The Christian message proclaims that through suffering, individuals can participate in Christ's redemptive work for the Church and humanity, especially when suffering is "experienced for love and with love through sharing, by God's gracious gift and one's own personal and free choice, in the suffering of Christ crucified" . This transforms suffering into a source of good .
Death, while a disquieting enigma, is illumined for believers by the "hope of immortality" . The Church confidently proclaims that God created each person for eternal life, and Jesus, through His death and resurrection, has broken the chains of sin and death . The Christian accepts death as the supreme act of obedience to the Father .
In the Eastern tradition, death is often considered good because it is the necessary condition and path to a future glorious resurrection . Christ has imparted this goodness to death through His own death and resurrection, effectively changing "sunset to sunrise" . For Christians, death is not an end but a transformation, where an eternal home is being prepared in Heaven .
The Christian faith offers a profound hope in the face of suffering and death . This hope is not a false expectation of never suffering, but the real hope of eternal life . The event of Christ's Resurrection reveals eternal life and demonstrates that death, pain, betrayal, and suffering do not have the final word in history . Christ's presence and nearness communicate hope to the sick and suffering, making pain existentially bearable .
This hope springs from the love that overcomes the temptation to despair . To contemplate Christ's suffering is to proclaim a hope that gives meaning to the time of sickness and death . Even in the darkest hours of human experience, the light of faith allows for the discernment of the Trinitarian presence, as Christ trusts in the Father, sustained by the Holy Spirit .
In summary, the Church views suffering and death through the lens of Christ's Paschal Mystery. They are not merely burdens or endings, but opportunities for profound union with Christ, participation in His redemptive work, and a passage to the hope of eternal life.