Religion/ Spirituality

A baseball autographed by Pope Francis is being auctioned off to the highest bidder in the wake of his death ... and it could end up selling for over five figures.

The late pontiff signed a baseball several years ago ... scribbling "Francisco" in black felt-tip pen on a Rawlings MLB ball ... and now that he's dead, the souvenir is hitting the open market.

The baseball is going up for sale through RR Auction ... where it's expected to fetch at least $15,000.

Pope Francis died from a stroke and a heart issue.

The Vatican released the official death certificate for Francis on Monday, and Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli says the Pope died as a result of a stroke and irreversible heart failure.

Francis' death certificate also reveals the Pope had been in a coma before his death on Monday morning. That's interesting because we saw the Pope the day before, on Easter Sunday, meeting briefly with Vice President J.D. Vance at the Vatican.

Donald Trump just got torched -- literally -- at a Spanish festival, where his effigy was strung up and burned as part of their centuries-old Judas tradition … and they did not hold back.

Forget Chucky, this huge blonde Trump dummy -- dressed in a black suit and red tie -- was the real stuff of nightmares as it was paraded through the streets for the Quema de Judas Festival in Coripe, Spain, on Easter Sunday.

As per tradition, the effigy was hung from a tree, set on fire, and brutally blasted at close range by a group of rifle-wielding locals.

President Trump is remembering Pope Francis with some kind words ... and POTUS is making sure the late Pope's death is recognized across the country.

Trump just spoke at the White House Easter Egg Roll event Monday and he opened his remarks with a few words about Pope Francis, who died earlier this morning.

The Prez is remembering Francis as a good man who worked hard and "loved the world."

Pope Francis -- the 266th pope in the Catholic Church's history -- has died ... the Vatican confirms.

"At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church," Cardinal Kevin Ferrell said in a statement on Monday.

Reports began to surface at the end of February that the pontiff was preparing for death after he was hospitalized with double pneumonia earlier in the month. He was also being treated for bronchitis at the time.

Numerous dignitaries visited him in the hospital while he was recovering ... including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said the pope was as "alert and reactive" as always

Pope Francis is being mourned by celebrities across the globe, after he died on Easter Monday.

Whoopi Goldberg shared a photo of herself smiling during a conversation with the Pope, along with a heartfelt message ... "He was the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and none believer."

She goes on to say ... "He felt more like Pope John the 23rd who made belief real. Sail on Pope Frances with your love of humanity & Laughter."

JD Vance was one of the last people who saw Pope Francis alive, meeting with the pontiff on Easter Sunday at the Vatican in Rome before his death.

President Trump's VP briefly interacted with Francis in a reception room of the Vatican guesthouse known as Domus Santa Marta, where the Pope chose to reside.

Their pleasant exchange — coming after Francis blasted the Trump administration's mass deportations of migrants — was caught on video.

Celebrities are celebrating Easter Sunday in a variety of ways ... none with a heavy dose of religion, but more with a sense of flair!

Kris Jenner celebrated by posting a series of photos on her Instagram showing her kids Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall, Kylie and Rob through the years at Easter time. The photos included shots of Kris' late husband Robert Kardashian.

Gypsy Rose marked the occasion by sharing a photo with her partner, Ken Urker and their baby girl, Aurora Urker.

Jesus can't take the wheel of one Louisiana bus -- 'cause it was blown sky high after the fuel tank ruptured and erupted ... and, the rapturous explosion was caught on video.

The incident went down in Shreveport, LA Wednesday ... with the Shreveport Fire Department releasing a statement claiming firefighters arrived on scene to find a SporTran bus burning -- with flames shooting out of the gas tank.

Shortly after SFD showed up, the bus blew up ... and, ya gotta check out the explosion 'cause it rocked the intersection -- flames billowing from its charred husk.

Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were evacuated from the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence after celebrating Passover when a man allegedly set fire to the building ... and, the suspected arsonist is now in custody.

Cody Balmer -- a 38-year-old man from Harrisburg, PA -- was arrested after cops say he hopped over a fence onto the property and forcibly entered the residence before setting it ablaze.

Photos of the fire damage show the inside of this part of the residence -- a large room meant for holding big gatherings -- burned badly ... with ashes covering the floor and tables while only a stack of plates in the center of one table seemed to have survived.

Morgan Wallen is looking to cash in on his viral explanation of his abrupt exit from "Saturday Night Live" ... selling merch with his new catchphrase.

The country music star has a bunch of new offerings on his official online store ... namely, shirts and hats with the phrase "Get Me To God's Country."

Morgan slapped the phrase on a white tee and a couple different trucker hats ... and he's hawking them all for $45 a pop. Hey, no one said God's country was cheap.

Robert Kardashian's signed and inscribed Bible which was gifted to O.J. Simpson as a token of friendship that Kim Kardashian wanted to pay $15K for has sold at auction for a whopping amount of money ... TMZ has confirmed.

Malcolm LaVergne, the special administrator of O.J.'s estate, tells TMZ ... the Bible of the former lawyer sold at auction for $80,276. He says he doesn't know who the lucky buyer is but notes that whether you loved O.J. or hated him it's clear "his legacy endures."

The estate's auction brought in an estimated $300K in sales. Other items that sold included a personally signed and framed photo of O.J. and former President Bill Clinton which went for over $18K. Also sold was a replica of O.J.'s 1968 Heisman Trophy for $42,700.

Pastor to the stars John Gray III is reacting to Marvin Sapp's viral Church donation request -- telling ushers to close the doors until the congregation coughs up $40,000 -- and he says culture and context are key.

John tells TMZ ... Marvin is a good friend of his and he's seen a lot worse donation requests in other churches.

Pastor Gray says he understands why folks who weren't at the service are upset with the way Marvin went about raising money -- asking everyone in the crowd for $20 -- and he tells us why culture and context are being left out of the conversation in sole favor of optics.

"Breaking Amish" star Mama Mary Schmucker has died after a battle with cancer ... TMZ has learned.

Mama Mary died Friday at her home in Pennsylvania, the result of cancer complications ... according to her son, Andrew Schmucker.

We're told Mama Mary was briefly hospitalized this week before passing away at her home. The cancer had spread over her body.

Gospel singer and bishop Marvin Sapp is under fire for his unorthodox way of asking church members for donations ... because he's on video telling ushers to close the doors until a huge goal is met.

Resurfaced video from Marvin's sermon at the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World annual summer convention is going viral ... and folks are taking issue with Marvin's fundraising style.

In the clip, the gospel music legend-turned-preacher tells the ushers to close the doors until the 1,000 worshipers in the building donate $20 each.

Gal Gadot's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony served as a battleground for pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters ... with demonstrators clashing on the streets as she received her star.

Things got super intense on Hollywood Boulevard as Gal's Walk of Fame ceremony was underway Tuesday ... with protesters getting into a fight just feet away from where the Israeli actress was being honored.

Footage shows the chaos devolving between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine factions ... one altercation happened after a pro-Palestine demonstrator snatched a flag from the pro-Israel faction.