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Live updates: Pope Francis, a towering figure on the world stage, dies at 88

Posted April 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM EDT

Buda Mendes

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The Vatican says Pope Francis died of a "a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse."

The official certification came from professor Andrea Arcangeli, the director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, according to Vatican News, an official publication of the Vatican.

Francis had a "prior history of acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes," the medical report said.

The pope's death was confirmed using electrocardiographic thanatography, Vatican News reported.

Francis was hospitalized for over a month earlier this year for a lengthy illness, which included a severe respiratory infection and bilateral pneumonia.

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Posted April 21, 2025 at 2:25 PM EDT

We'd love to hear about your reflections on Pope Francis and about any experiences you had with him over the years. You can fill out the form below or via this link, and share your stories, photos, voice memos, etc. An editor may be in touch to learn more.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 1:46 PM EDT

Johannes Eisele

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During his 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis repeatedly raised the problem of human-caused global heating from burning fossil fuels, and he encouraged people — including world leaders — to do something about it.

In 2015, Francis issued a papal letter — or encyclical — titled Laudato Si'. It recognized climate change as a global problem with significant consequences, especially for the poor. He criticized developed countries, like the U.S. and China, which have contributed the most planet-heating pollution.

In a 2021 BBC broadcast before the U.N. climate meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, Francis mentioned climate change in a list of crises that included the COVID-19 pandemic and economic difficulties.

As NPR reported, "The pope called on the U.N. to take 'radical decisions' to safeguard the environment and to place global concerns over the interests of individual nations."

Then, in 2023, Pope Francis also revisited the topic of climate change with another major papal document Laudate Deum, which was about one-fifth the length of his more than 38,000-word Laudato Si' and focused directly on climate change.

Christiana Zenner, associate professor of theology, science and ethics at Fordham University, said Francis' climate advocacy will likely endure because he was focused on changing hearts as well as minds.

"I think that the Catholic Church now has to be seen as an entity that is concerned about care for creation and people's faith lives together. I don't think that can be erased," Zenner added.

Read more here.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 1:14 PM EDT

Joe Raedle

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Pope Francis' death on Monday sets in motion weeks-long series of events, from a period of mourning to the process of selecting his successor.

The Vatican has an intricate set of rules governing the papal transition, a process the world doesn't get to watch unfold very often.

Pope Francis was chosen for the job in March 2013, several weeks after Pope Benedict XVI resigned from his post — a rare move that he blamed on his advanced age and diminishing strength. He died at age 95 in December 2022.

The most recent pope to die in office was the previous pontiff, Pope John Paul II. He died in April 2005 at age 84, after 26 years in the papacy.

Here's what happened after:

1. The pope's death is confirmed

The pope's death is supposed to be immediately verified and communicated to relevant parties, as Father Thomas Reese, then-editor in chief of America, told NPR in 2005.

The prefect of the papal household tells the camerlengo — in 2025, that's Cardinal Kevin Farrell — who must verify the pope's death in the presence of the papal master of ceremonies, the cleric prelates of the Apostolic Camera and the secretary of the Apostolic Camera, who draws up a death certificate.

Then the camerlengo and prefect of the papal household pass the news to various officials in the Vatican, who relay it to the people of Rome and the heads of nations.

"Although this is the formal procedure, in fact most people will first hear of the death of the pope from the media," Reese said.

John Paul II died at 9:37 p.m. on April 2, 2005 — six days after Easter. The Vatican Press Office informed journalists of his death via email exactly 17 minutes later.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista announced the pope's death to tens of thousands of people who had gathered for a vigil in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. The crowd grew silent, and some people clapped in tribute.

2. The papal apartments are locked

The camerlengo locks and seals the pope's apartment.

While looting ("by staff, the cardinals or the Roman populace") was a concern in the past, modern popes are more concerned that their private papers stay out of the wrong hands.

The camerlengo destroys the pope's fisherman's ring and seal — traditionally with a special hammer, per Britannica — to symbolize the end of his reign and prevent misuse, like forging documents.

John Paul II's ring and seal were destroyed in a symbolic ritual on April 16, 2005 — at the end of the nine-day mourning period and before the start of the conclave.

3. The mourning period lasts nine days

A pope's death is followed by a nine-day mourning period called the novemdiales. The cardinals arrange for the funeral rites to be observed during this time.

This is also when a pope lies in state. Approximately 1 million mourners visited John Paul II's body as it lay in state — first in the Apostolic Palace for staff and then St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing — for several days before his funeral on April 8.

According to Reese, the date for the funeral and burial is set by the College of Cardinals, but the apostolic constitution states it is to "take place, except for special reasons, between the fourth and sixth day after death."

Francis wrote in his 2025 autobiography that he found the customary service "excessive."

"So I have arranged with the master of ceremonies to lighten it: no catafalque, no ceremony for the closure of the casket, nor the deposition of the cypress casket into a second of lead and a third of oak," he wrote.

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4. Burial occurs within four to five days

The camerlengo is tasked with arranging the funeral in accordance with instructions the pope leaves behind.

John Paul II's funeral took place six days after his death in Saint Peter’s Square, at 10 a.m. local time on April 8.

The three-hour ceremony was conducted by the dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, with help from some 164 cardinals.

About 2 million people watched online, and the long list of dignitaries who attended in person included four kings, five queens and at least 70 presidents and prime ministers, according to DemocracyNow.

John Paul II was buried immediately afterward in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Pope Francis wrote in his memoir that he has a different final resting place in mind"

"When it happens, I will not be buried in Saint Peter’s but at Santa Maria Maggiore," he wrote, referring to one of the four Papal Basilicas in Rome. "The Vatican is the home of my last service, not my eternal home."

5. The conclave choses the next pope

Andreas Solaro

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The camerlengo is the acting head of the Vatican until the next pope is chosen and organizes the election process, which is called the conclave.

All cardinals under 80 years of age when the pope dies have the right to vote for the next pope — 115 of them voted in 2005. The process involves multiple rounds of voting over several days.

The conclave traditionally begins 15 to 20 days after the pope's death (the College of Cardinals sets the date and time). All of the conclaves since the 1900s have lasted less than four days — the last conclave to run more than five days was in 1831, and it lasted for 54.

The election takes place in the Sistine Chapel and is completely secret. But the public can watch the chimney for hints — black smoke means the cardinals will need to vote again; white smoke means a new pope has been chosen.

In 2005, the conclave began on the afternoon of April 18 — 16 days after the pope's death, and 10 days after his funeral. It lasted just two days, ending on April 19 when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected after just four ballots.

After the vote, the winning candidate is asked two questions: Does he accept their election, and what name will he chose? Then official documents are filled out, the new pope is fitted with papal attire — there are typically three sets of garments at the ready — and the news is announced to the public.

The senior cardinal deacon appears on the balcony over St. Peter's Square and announces "Habemus Papam!" — "We have a pope!"

Ratzinger was announced as Pope Benedict XVI on April 19 and installed as pope with Mass on April 24. He made his first foreign trip, to his native Germany, in August of that year.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 12:55 PM EDT

Jam Sta Rosa

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MANILA, Philippines — Church bells rang out across the Philippines Monday evening in honor of Pope Francis. Almost 80% of Filipinos identify as Roman Catholic and the late pontiff visited the country in 2015, meeting with victims of Typhoon Haiyan and the Bohol earthquake.

Filipinos often refer to Francis as "Lolo Kiko," a local nickname which means “Grandpa Francis.” The Manila Cathedral will hold a special Mass Tuesday morning.

In a news release, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called Francis “the best pope in my lifetime.” He wrote in a Facebook post: “A man of profound faith and humility, Pope Francis led not only with wisdom but with a heart open to all, especially the poor and the forgotten.”

While many Filipinos are mourning the death of Francis, there is already talk about the possibility of a Filipino succeeding him. Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, who prefers to be called by his nickname “Chito,” is considered by church experts as a possible contender to be the next pope. If elected he would be the first pontiff to come from Asia.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 12:37 PM EDT

Yuki Iwamura

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AP

In New York City, mourners gathered at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on Monday to honor the life and legacy Pope Francis.

“He’s definitely the pope of the people, made you feel like you were one," Kim Campise told the Gothamist.

In Pennsylvania, Bishop David Zubik of the Diocese of Pittsburgh called on more than 600,000 members of the Pittsburgh Diocese to pray for the late pontiff's soul.

Reflecting on his encounters with Pope Francis, Zubik said he was struck by "not just the dignity of the pope's office but the warmth of his heart. His attention to each person, his gentle spirit and his genuine kindness left a lasting impression," member station WESA reported.

In Boston, Archbishop Richard G. Henning remembered the pope as someone who "continuously called us to deeper faith and to a more generous participation in the boundless compassion of God."

Pope Francis worked closely with Henning's predecessor, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, to shape the church's response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal, WBUR reported.

"He has challenged us to turn away from selfish impulses and towards communion with others and respect for God's creation," Henning added.

Out West in Colorado, mourners grieved not only the passing of a spiritual guide but for a leader who was deeply engaged with the world's most urgent issues.

“He understood that climate change, poverty, migration, racism — it’s all connected,” Ruth Roland, director of mission advancement at Bennett Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs, told CPR.

Roland added, “He called us to a deeper understanding of why people are fleeing, what racism does to our humanity, and our ability to share that humanity.”

Posted April 21, 2025 at 12:09 PM EDT

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Pope Francis’ death was a “painful loss” for Mexicans.

“He was a humanist, a man who was always close to poor, to the most humble people,” she said.

Francis was the first pope from Latin America, and he took special interest in the region. He visited Mexico in 2016. In the southern state of Chiapas, he asked forgiveness for the Catholic Church’s role in dispossessing and marginalizing the indigenous population.

“Some have considered your values, culture and traditions to be inferior,” he said in San Cristóbal de las Casas. “Others, intoxicated by power, money and market trends, have stolen your lands or contaminated them. How sad this is. It would be worthwhile for each of us to examine our conscience and learn to say, ‘Forgive me.’ ”

In Mexico City, he pleaded with the political class to create a country in which Mexicans had the opportunity to be “dignified actors of their own destiny.”

The archbishop of Mexico City, Carlos Aguiar Retes, called a special Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and bells of all parishes across the country will ring at 3 p.m. ET.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 12:01 PM EDT

Sabah Arar

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Pope Francis focused on outreach to the overwhelmingly Muslim Arab world during his papacy, making ground-breaking visits to Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.

In 2021, Francis was the first pope in history to travel to Iraq, meeting the revered Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani and visiting Ur, the reputed birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, known as the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

He later wrote that security forces thwarted two assassination attempts against him, including in Mosul; a city still devastated by battles that drove the militant group ISIS from the city in 2017.

Andreas Solaro

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AFP via Getty Images

“Pope Francis was admired by all as the Pope of the People,” wrote Jordan’s King Abdullah II. “He brought people together, leading with kindness, humility and compassion.”

The pope’s persistent condemnation of the war in Gaza, including in Easter remarks the day before he died, endeared him to a wide variety of Jordanians. A majority of Jordan’s citizens are of Palestinian origin.

The pope’s visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2019 was the first by any pope to the Arab Gulf. During the visit he signed — along with Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, a leading Sunni Muslim religious leader — a document known as the Abu Dhabi declaration. The Vatican said it was aimed at fostering a new era between Catholics and Muslims.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 11:48 AM EDT

Isabella Bonotto

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Outside St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, American tourists joined the faithful to mourn Pope Francis' death.

Among them were a couple from Gallatin Gateway in Montana, Doug Rand and his wife, Ruth Angeletti.

Rand described the pope as someone who worked “right up to the last day, and his doctors told him to take a two-month rest, and he worked yesterday and died this morning.” He added that the pontiff was “always working for the little guy and the poor and the disadvantaged and the abused.”

His wife, at times struggling to speak through her tears, said Francis had inspired them both and they would miss him for “his concern for others,” his commitment to the planet and the environment, and for the fact that he was forever “trying to stop wars.”

Bianca Lott, from Northfield, Minn., had been studying abroad in Rome for her spring semester. Born and raised as a Catholic, she had previously visited Rome as a pilgrim.

Given that Francis died on Easter Monday, she said she felt a “a strange happiness at the timing,” which she called “poetic.”

Posted April 21, 2025 at 11:22 AM EDT

Beata Zawrzel

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Pope Francis wrote about his wishes and plans for his own funeral in his memoir Hope: The Autobiography, which was published in January 2025.

He specified which church he wished to be buried in and mentioned the "excessive" funeral service that he sought to pare down.

Here's what he wrote:

When it happens, I will not be buried in Saint Peter’s but at Santa Maria Maggiore: The Vatican is the home of my last service, not my eternal home.

I will go in the room where they now keep the candelabra, close to the Regina della Pace from whom I have always sought help, and whose embrace I have felt more than a hundred times during the course of my papacy. They have confirmed that all is ready.

The funeral service was excessive, so I have arranged with the master of ceremonies to lighten it: no catafalque, no ceremony for the closure of the casket, nor the deposition of the cypress casket into a second of lead and a third of oak.

With dignity, but like any Christian, because the bishop of Rome is a pastor and a disciple, not a powerful man of this world.

Publisher Penguin Random House says Hope is the first autobiography published by a pope, and was initially intended to appear only after Francis' death.

But, according to the publisher, "the needs of our times and the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope have moved him to make this precious legacy available now."

Posted April 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM EDT

Courtesy of Focus Features

In the Oscar-winning film Conclave, the complex political structure of the Catholic Church is laid out on the big screen as the College of Cardinals gather to elect a new pope. Based on a book of the same name by novelist Robert Harris, the plot of the film is fictional, but the papal election process, known as a conclave, is real.

According to Rev. Thomas Reese, a columnist at Religion News Service with a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, the film was mostly faithful to the truth.

"The voting procedure was done very well," Reese said: The urns used in the film were perfect replicas of what is actually used in the burning of the ballots.

He noted that one of the film's major inaccuracies was the treatment of Cardinal Vincent Benitez, played by Carlos Diehz, who was made a cardinal in pectore, a Latin phrase that translates to "in the heart" and refers to a process where appointments are made in secret. In reality, a cardinal appointed in pectore may not participate in a conclave unless his name was announced by the pope before he died, which was not the case in the film.

Reese is the author of multiple books on the Catholic Church, including Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church, which details the conclave process. The process itself, Reese explained, takes place in a no-external contact environment, with the cardinals — all under age 80 — isolated they reach a two-thirds majority consensus.

The cardinals are not completely alone. The Casa Santa Marta, in the film and in real life, is run by nuns who — as Isabella Rossellini's character, Sister Agnes says — are meant to be invisible, but have nevertheless been given eyes and ears.

In the film, Sister Agnes — who runs the Casa Santa Marta — comes to the aid of Sister Shanumi, a nun who had a secret relationship and child with one of the frontrunners for pope.

Caetlin Benson-Allott, director of film and media studies at Georgetown University, noted the interesting positioning of those two women characters.

"What I really liked about that is you see both sides, you see the possibility for the nuns to take a more active role, as Cardinal Bellini suggests that they should, and you also see the history of sexual abuse and also the exploitation of women in the Catholic Church," Benson-Allott said.

Read more here.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 11:13 AM EDT

South Korean political and religious leaders remembered Pope Francis for his compassion toward the victims of conflict and disaster.

“I deeply appreciate his special efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik wrote on his Facebook page

On a visit to South Korea in 2014, Francis met with Lee Yong-soo, who was forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese military during World War II.

"He must have gone to a good place,” Lee, now 96, said of the pontiff following his death.

“The pope was someone who transcends religious boundaries and shared in the suffering of humanity with humility and compassion,” the Yonhap news agency quoted Ven. Jinwoo, leader of the Jogye order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, as saying.

In 2019, Francis became the second pope to visit Japan, 38 years after John Paul II. He visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only two cities to be hit by nuclear attacks at the end of World War II.

“The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral,” he said in Hiroshima, “just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral.”

Posted April 21, 2025 at 10:51 AM EDT

Franco Origlia

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Pope Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday to deliver his Urbi et Orbi (which translates as "to the city and to the world") message, in line with tradition.

But this year's speech was unusual. The pope, recovering from bilateral pneumonia, sat on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome as Archbishop Diego Ravelli read his text out loud.

The Easter message begins by celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, calling it "indeed the basis of our hope." It continues:

For in the light of this event, hope is no longer an illusion. Thanks to Christ — crucified and risen from the dead — hope does not disappoint! Spes non confundit! (cf. Rom 5:5). That hope is not an evasion, but a challenge; it does not delude, but empowers us.

All those who put their hope in God place their feeble hands in his strong and mighty hand; they let themselves be raised up and set out on a journey. Together with the risen Jesus, they become pilgrims of hope, witnesses of the victory of love and of the disarmed power of Life.

Christ is risen! These words capture the whole meaning of our existence, for we were not made for death but for life. Easter is the celebration of life! God created us for life and wants the human family to rise again! In his eyes, every life is precious! The life of a child in the mother’s womb, as well as the lives of the elderly and the sick, who in more and more countries are looked upon as people to be discarded.

What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of our world! How much violence we see, often even within families, directed at women and children! How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants!

On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas! For all of us are children of God!

The pope wrote, "I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible!" and expressed his wishes for peace throughout the world, specifically mentioning the Israeli and Palestinian people; the Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria; Yemen; Ukraine; the South Caucasus; and Balkans; and parts of Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sudan and South Sudan.

He concludes:

In the Lord’s Paschal Mystery, death and life contended in a stupendous struggle, but the Lord now lives forever (cf. Easter Sequence). He fills us with the certainty that we too are called to share in the life that knows no end, when the clash of arms and the rumble of death will be heard no more. Let us entrust ourselves to him, for he alone can make all things new (cf. Rev. 21:5)!

Read the full speech here.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 10:42 AM EDT

Philip Pullella

Reporting for NPR from Rome, I covered the last three popes.

My first encounter with Pope John Paul II was in 1983, when I was a budding radio reporter. It was a ceremonial event welcoming journalists. When he walked by me, I pulled out my microphone, broke the no-question protocol and asked, “When will you visit Russia?” — then still the Soviet Union. The Polish-born pope replied cryptically in Latin and moved quickly on. I was unable to decipher his meaning.

I had much better luck with Pope Francis. In 2015, I was among the Vatican reporters onboard the plane for a papal visit to Cuba and the United States. Shortly after takeoff, Pope Francis came back to the plane's economy section to greet members of the traveling media individually. Several reporters had photos of family members and asked the pope to bless them. Some others raised arcane theological subjects. I had no idea what I was going to say until he came to me.

After stuttering a few niceties, and as he was about to go on to the next reporter, I blurted out, “You know, you and I have something in common.” That grabbed his attention. I went on, “both our parents were Italians, and both were anti-fascists. Mine left Italy for the U.S. and yours went to Argentina."

His eyes locked on mine, and I realized he was a very intense listener.

He then told me a story I don’t believe had been publicized before then. When his grandparents and their only son Mario decided to leave Italy in the 1920s, they bought tickets for passage on a ship to Argentina. But for some reason they were unable to go on that trip. A few months later, Francis told me, the Principessa Mafalda ocean liner that they were ticketed to travel on sank off the coast of Brazil in October 1927, killing hundreds. The family emigrated to Argentina a year and a half later.

It's no surprise that throughout his 12-year papacy, Francis spoke out forcefully on behalf of immigrants, refugees and the dispossessed. He was one of their offspring.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 10:34 AM EDT

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Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who announced Pope Francis' death on Monday morning, is now the acting head of the Vatican until a new pope is elected.

There's a name for the person with that job: the camerlengo.

According to Britannica, the cardinal camerlengo in Roman Catholicism is a key dignitary of the Vatican who is personally appointed by the pope and tasked with "a specific series of functions in the crucial time of transition from one pope to his successor."

Those tasks include verifying the pope's death, destroying the late pope's symbolic fisherman ring and preparing the conclave, the process by which a new pope is elected.

Farrell, a Dublin-born, naturalized U.S. citizen, held a series of positions at the Vatican before Pope Francis nominated him as the camerlengo in 2019. Here's what to know about him.

Farrell, 77, was born in September, 1947 in Dublin, and after completing secondary school went on to attend the University of Salamanca in Spain and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained a priest on Dec. 24, 1978, and began his career serving as chaplain at the University of Monterrey in Mexico. He moved to the U.S. to join the Archdiocese of Washington in 1984, according to his Vatican biography.

Farrell held a series of positions in several parishes in the area, including director of the Spanish Catholic Center, acting executive director of the Catholic Charitable Organizations and secretary for financial affairs.

Pope John Paul II appointed Farrell as an auxiliary bishop of Washington in 2001. He served as the moderator of the curia and chief vicar general until 2007, when he was appointed bishop of Dallas.

In 2016, Pope Francis appointed Farrell as the prefect of the newly established Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

"My administrative assistant, came in and said, ‘The Pope’s on the telephone, and I felt like saying, ‘Yeah, yeah,'" Farrell said at a press conference at the time, according to the local NBC affiliate. "Eventually she did put on the Pope, and he told me that he would like me to go to Rome because Dallas needed a much better Bishop than I am."

The pope named Farrell a cardinal later that same year, and continued to elevate him to positions in the Vatican.

He was nominated as camerlengo in 2019, appointed as president of the Commission for Confidential Matters in 2020 and appointed as president of the Vatican City State Supreme Court effective January 2024.

Farrell has been in close proximity to scandal — and scandalous figures — during his career.

Notably, from 2002 to 2006, he worked and lived with Theodore McCarrick, a once-powerful Catholic cardinal who was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after a Vatican investigation determined he had molested adults and children.

After those allegations came to light in 2018, Farrell publicly said he had not known or suspected anything about McCarrick's behavior.

Also in 2018, Farrell was criticized for allegedly barring a group called Voices of Faith from holding its fourth annual Women's Day event inside the Vatican.

Some people, including members of the group, believed the reason was that several of the would-be speakers — including former Irish President Mary McAleese — openly supported same-sex marriage, among other issues.

When asked about the controversy at an unrelated event weeks later, Farrell did not go into much detail about the reason behind his decision.

"Having been told subsequently that I did sponsor that event and having been told subsequently what the event was about, it was not appropriate for me to continue to sponsor such an event," he said, according to the French newspaper LaCroix International. "Obviously, when I withdrew the sponsorship of the event it couldn’t be inside the Vatican."

Farrell has said publicly that while the church cannot bless same-sex unions, that no one should be excluded from the “pastoral care and love of the Church.”

Farrell's position as camerlengo doesn't inherently disqualify or prime him for the position of pope.

The Times reports that only two camerlengos have been elected pope before: Gioacchino Pecci, as Pope Leo XIII in 1878, and Eugenio Pacelli, as Pope Pius XII in 1939.

There has never been a pope from Ireland or the U.S.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 10:07 AM EDT

In a statement released by his office, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he joins the world in mourning the pope's passing.

"Pope Francis was a transcendent voice for peace, human dignity and social justice," Guterres wrote. "He leaves behind a legacy of faith, service and compassion for all — especially those left on the margins of life or trapped by the horrors of conflict."

The secretary-general recalled the pope's visit to the U.N. headquarters in 2015 and his contribution to the international efforts to combat climate change.

Guterres said Pope Francis understood that "protecting our common home is, at heart, a deeply moral mission and responsibility," adding that "our divided and discordant world will be a much better place if we follow his example of unity and mutual understanding in our own actions."

Posted April 21, 2025 at 9:57 AM EDT

Pope Francis will be widely mourned in Africa, home to a large and growing number of Catholic faithful.

He was known for his peace-making efforts on the continent, making a risky trip to war-torn Central African Republic in 2015, where he met with both Muslims and Christians involved in the conflict.

Gianluigi Guercia

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In 2019, he made headlines when he kissed the feet of South Sudan's rival leaders after inviting them to a retreat at the Vatican, appealing to them to form a unity government — which they later did.

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He visited South Sudan a few years later in 2023. The same year, he visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, calling on militia fighters to lay down their arms — when conflict flared up again this year, he repeated his appeal for peace. He has also visited Kenya, Uganda, Madagascar and Mozambique.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 9:39 AM EDT

Money Sharma

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The Dalai Lama said he was saddened to hear about Pope Francis' passing.

"His Holiness Pope Francis dedicated himself to the service of others,” the 89-year-old Buddhist priest wrote in a letter to the Most Rev. Leopoldo Girelli, according to the Dalai Lama's social media.

The Dalai Lama added, "The best tribute we can pay to him is to be a warm-hearted person, serving others wherever and in whatever way we can.”

The Tibetan community in Dharamshala, India, where the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader lives, will hold a memorial service in honor of the pope.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 9:37 AM EDT

Vincenzo Pinto

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Francis was the first pope from Latin America.

He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to immigrant parents who had fled fascist Italy. He joined the Jesuits after high school, during a time of turmoil and conflict in the church and the country, as NPR's Carrie Kahn explains:

"There was the military dictatorship that he lived through, which had taken power under the auspices of fighting communism. There were leftist wings of the church, where believers and proponents of progressive teachings of liberation theology were."

Pope Francis has faced criticism for some of his stances during that time, with critics charging that he didn't do enough to defend those imprisoned and tortured under the dictatorship.

Francis faced criticism for his management style during his tenure and was sent by authorities to a period of de facto exile to Frankfurt, Germany, and then Córdoba, Argentina.

After about a decade, in 1992, he was named an auxiliary bishop of the Buenos Aires diocese and continued to rise through the ranks, becoming first an archbishop and then a cardinal in 2001.

Kahn recently traveled to Buenos Aires to ask people there how they felt about the pope, and spoke with some at the cathedral where Francis often delivered mass during his time as archbishop.

One woman, who said she received communion from Francis at her confirmation decades ago, praised his commitment to the poor and social justice more broadly. Others appreciated his love of soccer, particularly the Buenos Aires club, San Lorenzo.

"They loved that he was from Latin America — [in] Argentina, and even in neighboring Brazil, where I'm based, I would hear that a lot," Kahn said. "But a lot of people also were very disappointed that he never came and visited, especially in his homeland. Don't forget, this is a region that has some of the largest Catholic populations in the world."

Francis did visit Mexico and Cuba, but did not visit Argentina after becoming pope in 2013.

"When you speak to Argentines ... they regret so much that Pope Francis never got a chance to come home," she added.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 9:28 AM EDT

Vatican Pool

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Getty Images

Former President Joe Biden posted to X a lengthy tribute to Pope Francis, with whom he had a years-long bond.

"It is with great sadness that Jill and I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. He was unlike any who came before him. Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time and I am better for having known him," Biden wrote.

"For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina and his mission of serving the poor never ceased. As Pope, he was a loving pastor and challenging teacher who reached out to different faiths. He commanded us to fight for peace and protect our planet from a climate crisis. He advocated for the voiceless and powerless. He made all feel welcome and seen by the Church. He promoted equity and an end to poverty and suffering across the globe. And above all, he was a Pope for everyone. He was the People's Pope - a light of faith, hope, and love," Biden said.

Biden, the second Catholic president in U.S. history, had a good rapport with Pope Francis stretching back to before Biden's rise to the presidency.

Although the former president worked to expand access to abortion while in office — putting him at odds with the Catholic Church — Biden and the pope often focused on the issues they agreed on, including addressing climate change and the threat posed by rising nationalism.

In January, Biden awarded Pope Francis the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 9:22 AM EDT

Brian Mann

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NPR

Across the U.S., rank-and-file Roman Catholics are reacting to Pope Francis' passing. In Port Henry, a small rural town in upstate New York, Tom Scozzafava described this as a sad moment and also a pivotal time for the church.

“This pope was certainly different,” said Scozzafava, who works as an electrician. He described himself as a conservative, but said he still welcomed the pope’s ideas about immigration and inclusiveness.

“I think he is going to be missed. He brought about a lot of changes and most of those changes are good.”

Scozzafava, 68, noted that he sees mostly older people in church, even in this heavily Roman Catholic area. He said Pope Francis tried to send a welcoming message.

“To get people back into the church, this pope opened the door. It’s a different world today, especially the younger people, this pope could see that.”

Scozzafava said he worries the next pontiff could swing the church in a different direction that could lead to more young people opting out of the church. “It’ll be interesting to see the politics in regard to his replacement,” Scozzafava said.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 9:13 AM EDT

Vatican Pool/Corbis

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Getty Images

President Trump has acknowledged the pope's death in a one-line post on Truth Social, writing: "Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!"

Trump and Francis clashed repeatedly in recent years.

Trump praised the pope at the start of Francis's papacy, in 2013, several years before Trump reached the White House.

"The new Pope is a humble man, very much like me, which probably explains why I like him so much!" Trump tweeted in December of that year, several months after Francis became pope.

Things soured soon after. During the 2016 election, Francis roundly criticized Trump's campaign proposal to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," Francis said at the time.

Trump — who aggressively courted evangelical Christian leaders and voters during his campaign — fired back immediately, saying, "for a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful."

"If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened," he added.

Trump met the Pope during a 2017 trip to the Vatican, later telling reporters: "He is something. We had a fantastic meeting." A photo from the visit, in which Trump is smiling next to a glum-looking Francis, quickly went viral.

Nearly a decade later, amidst the second Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, the pope once again made a rare public rebuke of the president's policies.

In a public letter to U.S. Catholic bishops, February, Francis described the program of mass deportations as a "major crisis."

He said while nations have the right to defend themselves, "the rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality."

"The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness," Francis wrote.

The letter also appeared to respond to widely-criticized comments that Vice President Vance, who is Catholic, had made weeks earlier. Vance said people should care for their family, communities and country before caring for others — and Francis disagreed.

"Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups," the pope wrote.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 9:00 AM EDT

Maurix

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Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

In Iraq, Pope Francis was recalled as a courageous leader who worked to deepen inter-faith understanding.

“Today we mourn the loss of a remarkable religious and humanitarian leader whose life was devoted to promoting peace, alleviating poverty, and fostering interfaith tolerance,” Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid wrote on X. “His humanitarian stance against war and violence, and his continuous calls for peace and coexistence, will leave an indelible impact on the world.”

Pope Francis travelled to Iraq in 2021, meeting a revered Shiite Muslim spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and visiting Mosul, where the militant group ISIS declared a caliphate before being driven out in 2017. The visit was the first by a pope to Iraq.

He later wrote that Iraqi security forces had thwarted two assassination attempts against him during the visit.

More than half of Iraq’s Christian population left the country after security deteriorated following the 2003 U.S. invasion, with more leaving after the violent ISIS takeover in 2014 of Christian areas in the north of the country.

During his visit to Iraq, Pope Francis encouraged those remaining to rebuild their shattered communities.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 8:56 AM EDT

The Vatican has announced fresh details about the next steps it will take ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral.

The press office of the Holy See said Monday that Irish cardinal Kevin Farrell, who holds the official position of camerlengo — which translates to "chamberlain" — and is responsible for affairs in the Vatican between popes, would oversee a rite later today to confirm Francis’s death and place his body inside a coffin.

This will take place inside the Casa Santa Marta, the pope’s residence beside the basilica of St. Peter’s. Members of Francis’ family and senior medical staff will be present, as will several other senior Vatican officials, including the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, who will also play an important role during this papal transition.

A spokesperson has also said that the pope’s body could be moved to St. Peter’s as soon as Wednesday.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 8:51 AM EDT

Yuki Iwamura

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AP

As tributes to Pope Francis pour in, many people are remarking on the timing of his death — the morning after Easter Sunday, the holiest day of the year in the Catholic faith.

"It's so fitting that on the day after Easter, the holiest day of the year for Catholics, after blessing people in Saint Peter's Square and delivering a message that said Christ is risen, that this is the day that he was called home to the Lord," says Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University and an adviser to the Vatican's communications team.

Daniels told NPR's Morning Edition that the community is mourning, but its spiritual leader left behind a "hopeful vision for the church going forward."

She said he "energized our faith by orienting us again towards action ... towards a church that is a field hospital," referencing a metaphor the pope used repeatedly during his tenure. She specifically mentioned how Pope Francis challenged people to welcome migrants and refugees, reject polarization and "reject an economy that excludes the vulnerable."

"But most of all, he just remained a source of hope and renewal amid difficult times, including just every time we are facing something that's a challenge, whether within the church, in the clergy abuse crisis to externally with division in our political life," Daniels added. "He remains a source of hope and renewal and enjoys broad support among American Catholics."

A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 75% of American Catholics viewed Francis favorably — 15 points below his peak favorability rating, which was 90% in early 2015.

Pew said the survey revealed the largest partisan gap in views of the pontiff: Roughly 9 in 10 Catholics who belong to or lean toward the Democratic Party saw him positively, compared to just 63% of those who are Republican or Republican-leaning. But some feelings transcended party lines.

"Regardless of their partisan leanings, most U.S. Catholics regard Francis as an agent of change," Pew added. "Overall, about seven-in-ten say the current pope represents a change in direction for the church, including 42% who say he represents a major change."

Posted April 21, 2025 at 8:32 AM EDT

Vatican Pool

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Getty Images

Argentina’s president sent profound condolences to the family of Pope Francis and to all Catholics in a message posted to X from the pontiff’s homeland.

Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian who stridently defends free markets, acknowledged his and the pope’s differing viewpoints.

"Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his goodness and wisdom was a true honor for me," Milei added on X. "I bid farewell to the Holy Father and stand with all of us who are today dealing with this sad news."

ADIÓS
Con profundo dolor me entero esta triste mañana que el Papa Francisco, Jorge Bergoglio, falleció hoy y ya se encuentra descansando en paz. A pesar de diferencias que hoy resultan menores, haber podido conocerlo en su bondad y sabiduría fue un verdadero honor para mí.… pic.twitter.com/3dPPFoNWBr

— Javier Milei (@JMilei) April 21, 2025

During the 2023 presidential race, then-candidate Milei had decried the pope, calling him an “imbecile” who defended social justice and equating him to evil and the devil.

However, once in office, Milei softened his tone, even visiting the Vatican to meet with Francis.

Francis was born in Buenos Aires in 1936 as Jorge Bergoglio. His parents were Italian immigrants and as a boy he learned Italian, but Spanish was dominant in his home. He rose to be the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and many in Argentina lament that he never came home to visit as pope.

Mass will be held today in his honor in the capital’s cathedral where he presided. According to the newspaper Clarin, the country will observe seven days of mourning.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 8:28 AM EDT

Antonio Masiello

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Getty Images

Droves of mourners and tourists have begun gathering outside St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. There's a somber silence at the square, as church bells toll — a tradition after a pope has died.

Meanwhile, flags flew at half staff across Catholic churches in Italy. The Italian soccer league Serie A postponed four games scheduled for Monday to mourn Pope Francis' passing.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 8:07 AM EDT

Vatican Media via Vatican Pool

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Getty Images

On Monday, Kenyan President William Ruto posted on X that Francis "exemplified servant leadership through his humility, his unwavering commitment to inclusivity and justice, and his deep compassion for the poor and the vulnerable."

In neighboring Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also turned to social media to mourn the pope, saying "may his legacy of compassion, humility, and service to humanity continue to inspire generations to come."

In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that Pope Francis was "a spiritual leader who sought to unite humanity and wished to see a world governed by fundamental human values.

Pope Francis, an Argentine, was notable as the first pontiff from the Global South. Many Africans will be watching as the Vatican decides on his successor, hoping for the first African pope.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 8:01 AM EDT

MAURIX/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

The white smoke is famous. When it streams out of a chimney at the Sistine Chapel, it signals that a new pope has been chosen and sets off celebrations among some 1.4 billion Catholics around the world.

Behind the scenes, a mysterious and intensely dramatic process culminates in that smoke — literally. It's created by burning the ballots cardinals just used. White smoke signals that the Roman Catholic Church has a new leader; black smoke means the cardinals will need to vote again.

With the death of Pope Francis, the elaborate mechanism will now begin to decide who sits in power at the Vatican, the seat of the last absolute monarchy in Europe. It centers around the conclave, a gathering whose name stems from the Latin for "with key."

Here's everything to know about the process:

• When a reigning pope dies, an immediate duty falls to the camerlengo, a cardinal whose title translates to "chamberlain." The camerlengo declares the pope is deceased and administers the Holy See until a successor is chosen. The current camerlengo is Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the first American in that post.
• Funeral rites for the late pope are held for nine days as he is mourned and celebrated. Conclaves must begin within 15 to 20 days after a pope dies or resigns.
• Upon the pope's death, the dean of the College of Cardinals calls the cardinal electors to the Vatican. There are currently 138 of them. To join the conclave, cardinals must be under 80 years old.
• During the conclave, the cardinals live in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a hotel-like facility next to St. Peter's Basilica. It's where Pope Francis opted to live, rather than in the Apostolic Palace's papal apartments. The residence has been compared to a three-star hotel.
• The rituals take place according to rules popes have refined over the centuries, clarifying the timeframe and obligations. But the conclave itself must be obscured by "total secrecy," as Pope John Paul II wrote. Cardinal electors must sign an oath of secrecy and seclusion, under threat of excommunication.
• The process involves multiple rounds of voting over several days. All the conclaves from the 1900s onwards have lasted less than four days. Francis was elected pope on the conclave's second day, for instance.
• After a successful vote, the winning candidate is asked two questions: whether they accept their election, and what name they choose.
• Then official documents are signed, the pope is fitted with new attire and the decision is announced. The senior cardinal deacon will appear on the balcony over St. Peter's Square, announcing, Habemus Papam! — "We have a pope!"

Posted April 21, 2025 at 7:45 AM EDT

The White House shared a brief statement Monday morning on X on Pope Francis' passing.

"Rest in Peace, Pope Francis," it read.

The post featured two photos: one showing the pope with President Trump and his wife, Melania, and another with Vice President Vance, photographed over the weekend during his visit to Rome.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 7:38 AM EDT

Alessandra Tarantino

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AP

Pope Francis was a master of making emotional connections through his actions, resulting in viral moments that rocketed across the internet. He was, at heart, a pastor to wounded souls.

From consoling a young boy whose father had recently died, to preaching in an eerily empty St. Peter's Square during the pandemic, Francis understood how his actions, as much as his words, could preach the Gospel.

Highlights include:

• After addressing a joint session of Congress — the first-ever for a pope — in 2014, Francis didn't do the usual D.C. thing: have lunch with powerful people. Instead, he headed to a homeless shelter in the nation's capital, where he dined with 300 people served by Catholic Charities. Before lunch, the pope reminded the gathering that Jesus was homeless, too, when he came into the world. He then earned cheers by saying, "We can find no social or moral justification — no justification whatsoever — for lack of housing."
  
• In 2016, Pope Francis and Orthodox Christian leaders visited a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. But the pope did more than call attention to the issue. He brought 12 Muslim refugees from Syria — whose homes had been bombed during the Syrian war — home with him to the Vatican on the papal plane.
  
• As the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis visited the city's Catholic parishes and took questions from children. In April 2018, a young boy named Emanuele struggled to ask, so Francis invited him to whisper in his ear. The boy asked if his father, an atheist, had gone to heaven. "Does God abandon his children when they are good?" the Pope asked. "No!" the children shouted. He replied: "There, Emanuele, that is the answer."
  
• Pope Francis was one of the first world leaders to publicly acknowledge the pain and anxiety of the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, he stood alone in St. Peter's Square as the evening sky bled from blue to black, and offered a meditation on the crisis facing the world — acknowledging the "thick darkness" that had settled, but also reminded people that "we are all in the same boat." Millions of people watched the address online.

Revisit more of those moments here.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 7:29 AM EDT

Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio

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Getty Images

In a telegram released by the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his “deepest condolences” over the death of Pope Frances.

The Russian leader praised the Pope’s role in actively “sponsoring dialogue” between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as with the Kremlin itself.

Yet ties between Pope Francis and Moscow strained amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In May of 2022, the Pope publicly chastised the Patriarch for his public support of the war — describing a conversation in which he warned Kirill must not serve as “Putin’s altar boy.”

“Brother, we are not state clerics, we cannot use the language of politics but that of Jesus,” said the Pope in describing the exchange to the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera.“We are pastors of the same holy people of God. Because of this, we must seek avenues of peace, to put an end to the firing of weapons.”

Putin and Pope Frances met three times in person — lastly in 2021 — but were known to speak occasionally by phone as well. Russian state media claimed Putin called Frances every March to mark his ascension to the Papacy.

But if there were lingering resentments over the Pope’s criticism of the war in Ukraine, Putin expressed none in his condolence letter.

“I’ve had occasion to talk with this great man on more than one occasion,” wrote the Kremlin leader. “And I will forever preserve the brightest memory of him.”

The Russian Orthodox Church said it would send a “high-ranking delegation” to the Vatican for the funeral services.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 7:16 AM EDT

Sven Creutzmann

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Mambo Photo/Getty Images

Before becoming pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio had traveled very little.

As Pope Francis, he became a global player, preferring to visit what he called the "periphery" of the world, in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

His travels included visits to Myanmar, Bangladesh, Japan, the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Uganda, Madagascar, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, Ecuador, Chile and Cuba, among other countries.

He helped restore relations between the U.S. and Cuba during the Obama administration.

And his watchwords were "encounter," "dialogue," "reconciliation" and "build bridges, not walls."

Interfaith dialogue was one of the pillars of his papacy — he forged closer ties with the Orthodox Church, Protestants and Muslims, and he continued the Vatican's good relations with Jews set forth by St. John Paul II.

Francis had no qualms about delivering overtly political messages.

Accepting a prestigious European prize in 2016, he sharply scolded the European Union for its treatment of migrants and fraying sense of unity.

"I dream of a Europe where being a migrant is not a crime. ... I dream of a Europe that promotes and protects the rights of everyone," he said.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 7:09 AM EDT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media that Pope Francis “inspired millions far beyond the Catholic Church with his humility and love for the less fortunate. My thoughts are with all who feel this profound loss.”

Today, the world mourns the passing of Pope Francis.

He inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate.

My thoughts are with all who feel this profound loss.

May they find solace in the idea that Pope Francis’… pic.twitter.com/FiI6SASNl8

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 21, 2025

Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz posted on X: “Pope Francis will be remembered for his tireless commitment to the weakest in society, to justice and reconciliation.”

Polish President Andrzej Duda wrote in a statement on X: “Pope Francis has returned today to the House of the Father. Throughout his pastoral ministry, he was guided by humility and simplicity … He was a great apostle of Mercy, in which he saw an answer to the challenges of the modern world.”

Posted April 21, 2025 at 7:06 AM EDT

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a photo of himself shaking hands with Pope Francis and praised the pontiff as someone who “knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity.

He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. We grieve together with Catholics and all Christians who looked to Pope Francis for spiritual support. Eternal memory!”

Millions of people around the world are mourning the tragic news of Pope Francis’s passing. His life was devoted to God, to people, and to the Church.

He knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. We… pic.twitter.com/Ww6NtsbWWS

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 21, 2025

Francis met with Zelenskyy three times, but Ukrainians have mixed feelings about the pope. He condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine strongly, calling it a “negation of God’s dream.”

“Have respect for human life and stop the macabre destruction of cities and villages in the east of Ukraine,” he told the crowd at St. Peter’s Square in Rome on June 5, 2022, 100 days into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

However, he angered Ukrainians in 2024 when he told a Swiss broadcaster that Ukraine should have the “courage of the white flag” and negotiate with Russia to end the war. Ukrainians interpreted that as the pontiff asking Kyiv to capitulate to Moscow.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 6:58 AM EDT

Bay Ismoyo

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AFP via Getty Images

Pope Francis was one of the most popular popes in decades and a towering figure on the world stage, addressing not just Catholics but the men and women of our time.

The outspoken pope lent his voice to almost every modern issue facing the world, often taking the side of the marginalized and vulnerable. He spoke out against commercial exploitation of the environment, rich countries' unwillingness to accept migrants, the alienation caused by technology and the lucrative sale of weapons of war.

Francis was at times a controversial figure in his own church. Conservative critics charged him with bending church dogma as a concession to modern mores. Progressives, meanwhile, were disappointed that he did not go further to include LGBTQ Catholics and women in church leadership roles.

Same-sex couples

At a news conference weeks into the job, Francis uttered uttered a phrase that would define his papacy: "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"

Francis was hailed by LGBTQ rights groups for calling for laws to protect same-sex couples.

Still, the Vatican sent mixed signals during his tenure. In June 2021, it filed a formal diplomatic protest with the Italian government over a draft law that would criminalize violence and hate speech against LGBTQ people and disabled people, as well as misogyny. The Vatican feared the legislation could make the church vulnerable to prosecution for not conducting same-sex marriages, for opposing adoption by same-sex couples and for refusing to teach gender theory in Catholic schools.

And while Francis repeatedly condemned discrimination and violence against gay people, he decried as "ideological colonization" the theory that gender is largely a social construct rather than determined solely by a person's biological sex.

Progress for women

His election had sparked great hope among Catholic women — lay and nuns — that he would promote a greater role for women in the church. But in the early years of his papacy, Francis made some cringeworthy comments: When he appointed several women to a blue-ribbon theological commission, he called female theologians "strawberries on the cake"; addressing the European Parliament, lamenting Europe's low birthrate, he compared Europe to a grandmother who is "no longer fertile and vibrant."

At the same time, Francis promoted the advancement of women in the church far more than his predecessors did — appointing numerous women to high-level posts in Vatican departments — and he called for greater women's participation in church decision-making.

Francis also created a commission to study the possibility that women could become deacons — meaning they could perform some of the duties of priests. But on the issue of women priests, Francis, like his predecessors, was firmly opposed — a position that infuriated many Catholic women.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 6:50 AM EDT

Vincenzo Pinto

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AFP via Getty Images

Pope Francis was the first non-European head of the Roman Catholic Church in more than a millennium.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Italian immigrants. He was proud of his Argentine heritage: He had a particular fondness for maté, the caffeine-rich infused drink, and tango.

On his 78th birthday, Francis welcomed hundreds of couples as they danced the tango in St. Peter's Square. He clearly appreciated the gift — after all, before becoming a priest, he'd worked as a nightclub bouncer in Buenos Aires.

Pope Francis was beloved for his common touch, wading into crowds, kissing babies, disabled people and disfigured individuals. He was oblivious to his aides' security fears, refusing to ride in a bulletproof popemobile.

He set many precedents: the first Jesuit pope, the first to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi and the first from the Global South.

Posted April 21, 2025 at 6:42 AM EDT

Vatican Pool

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Getty Images

The pope met briefly Sunday morning with Vice President Vance, who was in Italy over the weekend meeting with Italian officials and celebrating Easter with his family. Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019.

The Holy See Press Office said the pair exchanged Easter greetings in a private meeting that lasted for a few minutes.

In February, Pope Francis warned that the Trump administration's effort to dramatically ramp up deportations was driving a "major crisis." The pope also appeared to criticize Vance directly for claiming that Catholic doctrine justified such policies.

In response, Vance said he would continue to defend his views. On Sunday, Vance told the Pope: "I know you have not been feeling great, but it's good to see you in better health." He added: "I pray for you every day."

Early Monday morning, after Francis' death was announced, Vance tweeted: "My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him."

"I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill," Vance wrote. "But I’ll always remember him for the ... homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful."

Posted April 21, 2025 at 6:39 AM EDT

Tiziana Fabi

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AFP via Getty Images

Pope Francis made a rare public appearance on Easter Sunday, less than a month after he was discharged from Rome's Gemelli hospital following a lengthy illness, which included a severe respiratory infection and bilateral pneumonia. He had entered the hospital five weeks earlier, on Feb. 14, with a case of bronchitis.

Doctors who sent the pope home in late March said he would require two months of convalescence, including rest and additional medical treatment.

On Sunday, Francis did not preside over the Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square, instead delegating it to Italian Cardinal Angelo Comastri.

But he did appear on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican for the reading of a blessing he'd written. He also toured through St. Peter's Square in his modified Mercedes-Benz G-Class known as the popemobile, greeting the crowds of worshippers who had gathered for Easter mass.

"The resurrection of Jesus is indeed the basis of our hope," Francis wrote in his Urbi et Orbi message, which translates as "to the city and to the world," the text of which was read aloud by Archbishop Diego Ravelli.

Francis, in his Urbi et Orbi message, also renewed his call for peace in places across the world experiencing violent conflicts and humanitarian crises, including Israel and Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Ukraine.

The pope added: "On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas!"

Posted April 21, 2025 at 6:33 AM EDT

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at age 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, according to the Vatican.

Pope Francis was the first non-European pope in more than a millennium, and one of the most popular pontiffs in decades.

The son of Italian immigrants, Jorge Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires and was proud of his Argentine heritage.

Gregorio Borgia

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AP

Bergoglio set many precedents: the first Jesuit pope, the first pope to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi, and the first pope from the global south.

On his election in 2013 — after the surprise resignation of Benedict XVI — he broke with tradition, opting to live in a Vatican hotel rather than the opulent papal quarters.

Francis cleaned up Vatican finances, long tainted by corruption.

 He created a kitchen cabinet of nine cardinals to help reform a dysfunctional bureaucracy.

Francis’ staunch environmentalism and critique of laissez-faire capitalism met with vehement opposition from conservatives within and outside the catholic church.

A master at blending the spiritual and the political, Francis emerged as a daring, independent broker on the global stage.

Read his full obituary here.

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