WILLEMSTAD – As a sign of gratitude and respect for the life and work of Pope Francis, the Government of Curaçao has issued a flag directive to all government organizations and agencies. On Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26, 2025, the Curaçao flag is to be flown at half-mast from sunrise until 6:00 PM. 

Honoring Pope Francis 

Pope Francis served as the head of the Catholic Church, Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of Vatican City from March 13, 2013, until his passing on April 21, 2025. A Holy Memorial Mass will be held in his honor on Friday, April 25 at 12:30 PM at the Cathedral in Pietermaai. The service is open to all members of the faith community. Pope Francis will be laid to rest on Saturday, April 26 at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. 

Instructions for Flying the Flag at Half-Mast 

The flag directive includes specific guidelines: when lowering the flag to half-mast, it should first be hoisted fully to the top of the mast before being respectfully lowered to halfway. When taking the flag down, it must again be raised fully to the top before being slowly and respectfully lowered. 

For full details and protocol, the official government flag instruction can be found here: Vlaginstructie Paus Franciscus