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Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican announced in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by divisions and tensions as he sought to overhaul the institution.
The Pope was 88 years old and had suffered from various ailments during his 12 years as papacy.
The body of Pope Francis could be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica starting Wednesday so that the public can pay their last respects, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Monday. A formal decision to that effect is expected to be made Tuesday by a group of cardinals meeting at the Vatican, Bruni said.
Pope Francis has probably died of a stroke, according to rumors circulating in the Vatican, the website of the Italian daily Corriere della Sera reports. In the coming hours, the Holy See will issue an official statement specifying the cause of death.
Reactions
President Volodymyr Zelensky mourned the death of Pope Francis and recalled that he “prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians.” “We suffer alongside Catholics and Christians,” the Ukrainian leader also said, quoted by AFP.
US President Donald Trump also sent a message of condolences on Monday after the death of Pope Francis. “Rest in peace Pope Francis! May God bless him and all who loved him!” Trump wrote, according to the BBC.
Pope Francis received US Vice President JD Vance on Easter Sunday, just hours before his death, a remarkable meeting between the head of the Catholic Church, who has repeatedly criticized the policies of the Trump administration, and a politician who has publicly criticized some of the church’s social teachings, writes the Washington Post.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent his condolences on the passing of Pope Francis, the Kremlin announced on Monday, Reuters reports.
Spain has declared three days of official mourning after the death of Pope Francis, announced Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Parliamentary Relations Felix Bolanos on Monday, according to AFP and Agerpres. “We are deeply saddened by the death of a good man and a great pope,” he said in a solemn statement, stressing that Francis’ pontificate “marked a renovating and reformist impetus for the Catholic Church, which will leave a mark on History.”
Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church says he received with “deep sadness” the news of the passing of Pope Francis, “a venerable and well-known personality of contemporary Christianity, whose Pontificate leaves a profound mark on the recent history of the Roman Catholic Church.”
“Your Eminence, I received, with deep sadness, the news of the passing of Pope Francis, a venerable and well-known personality of contemporary Christianity, whose Pontificate leaves a profound mark on the recent history of the Roman Catholic Church. We share the pain caused by this loss and extend our condolences to the entire Roman Catholic Church. We pray to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Resurrection and the Life (cf. John 11:25), to rest the soul of Pope Francis in the light, peace and love of the Most Holy Trinity,” Patriarch Daniel wrote in a message sent by Patriarch Daniel to the Dean of the College of Cardinals at the Vatican, Giovanni Battista Re.
Preparations to elect new Pope
The conclave to elect a new pope must begin in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, according to the rules, no earlier than 15 days and no later than 20 days after the death, Reuters and AFP reports.
Pope Francis was elected by the cardinals of the Vatican at the age of 76, after the retirement of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. Since no clear successor has been named, any member of the College of Cardinals could be elected. However, several of the 252 possible candidates appear to be favorites to take over the leadership of the Catholic Church.
Theoretically, any male Catholic can be elected pope, but the last time a Catholic who was not a member of the College of Cardinals was elected to lead the Vatican was in 1378. After the death or resignation of a pope, a conclave is held in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, where cardinals discuss and vote to decide who will be the next leader of the Catholic Church. They are sworn to secrecy and remain isolated from the rest of the world until a new pope is elected. During this time, they discuss the merits of each candidate under consideration.
Although no nominations are officially allowed, the process of electing a new pope is “highly political,” according to the BBC. Tradition says that all cardinals should be guided only by the Holy Spirit when choosing who to vote for. Only 138 of the 252 cardinals will be able to vote in the next conclave, as only members of the College of Cardinals who are under 80 are eligible to vote. The vote is secret.
All cardinal electors write the name of their preferred candidate on a piece of paper. A two-thirds majority is required to elect a new pope. Four rounds of voting take place each day until a candidate receives enough votes to be named pope.
The ballots are burned after each session, the smoke being seen by those watching from outside. If the smoke is black, the cardinals have not reached a decision. If the smoke is white, it means that they have succeeded in electing a new pope.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin (70 years old)
Italy Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin was named a cardinal by Pope Francis 11 years ago and is credited with the best chance of becoming the next pope. Parolin is considered a moderate cardinal. He has participated in the diplomatic activities of the Holy See, in the Apostolic Nunciature in Nigeria and Mexico. Parolin’s election would be considered a continuation of the legacy left behind by Pope Francis.
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (65)
Democratic Republic of Congo The President of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, came to public attention when he rejected Pope Francis’ controversial declaration allowing Catholic priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples – Fiducia supplicans. A Besungu pontificate would have been seen as a drastic rejection of the liberal principles of Pope Francis, who welcomed Besungu into the College of Cardinals in 2019.
Cardinal Wim Eijk (71)
Netherlands Willem Jacobus “Wim” Eijk, a former doctor, is one of the more conservative candidates with a real chance of being chosen as Pope Francis’ successor. Cardinal Eijk has criticized Pope Francis’ reforms, including on remarriage of divorced people, to make it easier for separated couples to obtain an annulment of marriage, saying it is “a form of structured and institutionalized adultery.” The Dutch cardinal also criticized Pope Francis’s failure to fight a proposal by the German Bishops’ Conference that would have allowed Protestants to receive Holy Communion in Catholic churches, calling the pope’s actions “totally incomprehensible.” Eijk was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
Cardinal Peter Erdo (72)
Hungary Cardinal Erdo has previously opposed the practice of allowing divorced or remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion and has made it clear that he opposes European countries accepting refugees – a decision the cardinal has likened to human trafficking. Erdo was received into the College of Cardinals in 2003 by Pope John Paul II.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (67)
Philippines Dubbed the “Pope Francis of Asia,” he is considered a leftist and has criticized the Catholic Church’s stance on LGBT people and divorced and remarried Catholics. In a 2015 interview, Tagle said the Church’s “hardline” stance on gay people, divorcees, and single mothers has hurt the preaching of the Gospel. Tagle is the seventh Filipino to become a cardinal and would be the first pope from Asia if elected. He was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
Cardinal Raymond Burke (76)
USA Burke is considered the most conservative figure in the College of Cardinals and is a known critic of Pope Francis’s liberal tendencies. He, like Cardinals Erdo of Hungary and Eijk of the Netherlands, has criticized the language Pope Francis uses regarding divorced and remarried couples, artificial contraception, homosexuality and civil marriages – language he has described as “unacceptable”. Burke became a cardinal in 2010 at the suggestion of Pope Benedict XVI. The current Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Mario Grech, is considered a possible successor to Pope Francis.
Cardinal Mario Grech (67)
Malta The current secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, Mario Grech, is seen as a possible successor to Pope Francis who would be more moderate. Grech has spoken in the past about the need to help those who have been excluded from the Church because of their sexual orientation or marital status. The cardinal has highlighted the need to maintain the continuity of religious teaching without eliminating creativity in the methodology used to communicate with people. Grech was made a cardinal in 2020 by Pope Francis.
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (69)
Italy The president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Matteo Zuppi, was born in Rome and served as archbishop of Bologna, making him a much better Vatican insider than his opponents. Zuppi is a favorite of Pope Francis, who asked him to go on a peace mission to Ukraine in 2023, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. That same year, Zuppi also met with then-US President Joe Biden, who is a Catholic. Zuppi was made a cardinal in 2019.
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Ok may his sole rest in peace but really must we now watch the drama with the black and white smoke. We, in this part of the world do not really care.