Pope Francis Dead at 88
World Mourns Death of First Latin American Pontiff
It’s an honor if the Americans attack me - Pope Francis
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution. He was 88, and had suffered a serious bout of double pneumonia this year, but his death came as a shock after he had been driven around St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile to greet cheering crowds on Easter Sunday. "Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican's TV channel. "At 7:35 (0535 GMT) this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father." Farrell will preside over a rite at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Monday when the pope's body will be placed into a casket. A spokesman said his body might be moved to St. Peter's Basilica as early as Wednesday morning to allow the faithful to pay their respects. No date has been set for the funeral. Tributes for Francis poured in from around the world, with many leaders praising his humility and care for the poor. Francis had on Sunday made his first prolonged public appearance since being discharged from hospital on March 23 after a 38-day stay for pneumonia. In an Easter Sunday message read aloud by an aide as the pope looked on from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the pontiff had reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. At the Vatican, locals, tourists and pilgrims visiting for Easter expressed their shock and grief - Reuters
The cause of Pope Francis' death has been identified as a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse. Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, issued the official certification, and the Holy See Press Office released the report on Monday evening. According to the medical report, the Pope had a prior history of acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, high blood pressure, and Type II diabetes. His death was confirmed through electrocardiographic thanatography. “I hereby declare,” wrote Dr. Arcangeli, “that the causes of death, to the best of my knowledge and judgment, are as stated above.” - Vatican News
As the United States wakes up to news of Pope Francis's death, US presidents - both current and former - are sharing their tributes. Former President Joe Biden says the Pope was "unlike any who came before him" and would be remembered as among the most "consequential leaders of our time.” Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama say he was a "rare leader who made us want to be better people" and "shook us out of our complacency" - BBC
In April 2024, the late Pope Francis approved an updated edition of the liturgical book for papal funeral rites, which will guide the funeral Mass which has yet to be announced. The second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis introduces several new elements, including how the Pope’s mortal remains are to be handled after death. The ascertainment of death takes place in the chapel, rather than in the room where he died, and his body is immediately placed inside the coffin. According to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, the late Pope Francis had requested that the funeral rites be simplified and focused on expressing the faith of the Church in the Risen Body of Christ. “The renewed rite,” said Archbishop Ravelli, “seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.” - Vatican News
Some of Pope Francis’ statements on the war in Ukraine were not well received at all in Kyiv. He held a controversial position on the war. At times, he seemed to push reconciliation - in an almost insensitive way - between the Russian and Ukrainian sides. The pontiff was quoted as saying in a 2024 interview with a Swiss broadcaster that Ukraine should have "the courage of the white flag", and sue for peace to end the conflict with Russia. Reuters reported that since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the pope has condemned the war as an unjustified act of aggression and has called Ukraine a "martyred nation." He made appeals for peace at nearly every public appearance, at least twice a week.
He also urged the head of the Russian Orthodox church, who is closely aligned with the Russian state, not to become the Kremlin's "altar boy.” Despite that, he disappointed many Ukrainians by not explicitly condemning Russian leader Vladimir Putin as the aggressor, Reuters reported.
In Poland, however, the Pontiff is fondly remembered and his death is greeted with a great deal of sadness, said the BBC’s Will Vernon.
There is inevitably, plenty of speculation about Pope Francis’ successor. With some saying it is time for the first African Holy Father. If that is the case, a frontrunner is Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, 65, reported The New York Times. He is the archbishop of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has been considered a possible contender since Francis made him a cardinal in 2019. Said The Times: “Pope Francis had long urged the Catholic Church to ‘go to the peripheries,’ meaning communities in Africa and Asia, where the church also is the most vibrant. One persistent question has been when the church might reinforce that commitment by choosing a pope from Africa. Catholics make up about 18 percent of the population of the continent and generate more seminarians than any other part of the world.”
Rep. Don Bacon, a prominent Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, became the first sitting GOP lawmaker Monday to suggest President Donald Trump should fire Pete Hegseth — calling the chaos at the Pentagon one reason why many Hill Republicans were privately uneasy with the Defense secretary’s nomination in the first place. “I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience,” Bacon, a former Air Force general who now chairs of the subcommittee on cyber issues, said in an interview. “I like him on Fox. But does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern.” He added: “If it’s true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it’s totally unacceptable,” referring to the New York Times report that Hegseth shared sensitive information about military operations in Yemen in a private chat on the Signal app that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. It’s the second report of administration officials using an unclassified messaging platform to share sensitive information.“I’m not in the White House, and I’m not going to tell the White House how to manage this … but I find it unacceptable, and I wouldn’t tolerate it if I was in charge,” Bacon continued. Hegseth’s decision to use a private device or Signal to communicate classified information was especially troubling, said Bacon, given vast interest among foreign adversaries to hack the phones of officials at the highest levels of government - Politico
Ukrainian authorities reported dozens of Russian missile and drone attacks on April 21, a day after US President Donald Trump voiced hope that an agreement would be reached between the two countries this week. Strikes were reported in Kyiv and other Ukrainian towns and cities. A man was reportedly injured by shelling in Kherson. A Ukrainian drone strike was reported in Russia’s Belgorod region. On the diplomatic front, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the prospects of a deal this week. But he welcomed a comment by US envoy Keith Kellogg saying Ukraine would not be able to join NATO. Further talks are expected in London this week between European, Ukrainian, and US officials following a gathering in Paris on April 18. US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is reportedly planning another meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin - RFE/RL
The journals…
