Pope Francis has died

What "public relations games" are they playing? He was out in public yesterday afternoon. And they announced the death a few hours after it happened. The death of a Pope will get maximum media coverage regardless of the time or day it happens - it's going to be headline news for weeks.

> definitely

that's a dubious theory based on no evidence at all

No, he passed away on the second day of Easter: Easter Monday.

Easter Sunday represents the beginning of a long season. There is first an Octave celebrated: eight days, each very much like Easter Sunday itself.

Once the Octave ends, it is still “Eastertide” or the Second Week of Easter.

Pentecost marks the 50th day, (inclusive), and the end of the Easter season, but sets off a rather remarkable chain of new holy days.

So I will be around, wishing you a Happy Easter, even during June

  +<(:-)-X

Just saw him yesterday in the carriage in Vatican City.

We know with absolute certainty that he died soon after Easter. Literally tens of thousands of people saw with their own eyes that he was alive yesterday (and billions saw it on TV). Exactly when he died between the end of his public appearance and the announcement is hard to know, but also ultimately irrelevant. This would be the biggest topic of discussion in Europe, Africa, and the Americas at the very least regardless of when it happened. And, if there were some goal to increase news coverage in Asia, where there are relatively fewer Christians as a percentage of the population, the announcement (9:45 in Italy) was somewhat late in the middle of the day, at least for China (about 14:45 in China, when everyone is at work and not watching news, either on TV or social media).

So you are being entirely silly.