Shorouk Express
Spain will observe three days of mourning to honour Pope Francis after the Argentine pontiff’s death on Monday aged 88, but does this also mean time off work for people in the country?
“We regret the death of a good man and a great pope. Therefore, the government of Spain will declare three days of official mourning,” Justice Minister Félix Bolaños said in a televised address, praising Francis’s “reformist” 12-year papacy that “will leave a legacy for history”.
Francis “dedicated his life to the weak, to those who have nothing… a pope characterised by his struggle against inequality, injustices, his fight against climate change and his concern for all those on the peripheries”, added Bolaños.
READ ALSO: Pope Francis dies on Easter Monday aged 88
“For that reason, the government of Spain has always felt close to his work and his values, especially his defence of peace,” the Socialist minister continued.
In Spain, historically a deeply Catholic country, “we loved him and what his papacy meant”, said Bolaños.
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“With his papacy the Church has started to travel a path which must continue.”
Official days of mourning do not usually result in time off work for Spain’s working population, as evidenced by the last time the country was de luto (in mourning) for three days, following the tragic floods in Valencia last year.
Instead the implications are of an institutional nature: the flag will fly at half-mast and there will be no official state events.
READ MORE: ‘A good man’ – Spain reacts to Pope Francis’ death
