CNN
 — 

When the newly elected Pope Francis returned to the front desk of his hotel in Rome to personally settle his bill a day after being introduced to cheering crowds in St. Peter’s Square in 2013, it was a first glimpse into the modesty that would come to define his papacy.

But for one real estate developer turned reality television star observing developments from his penthouse in Manhattan, it was a sign of something else.

“I don’t like seeing the Pope standing at the checkout counter (front desk) of a hotel in order to pay his bill,” Donald Trump, still years from mounting his first presidential bid, wrote on Twitter. “It’s not Pope-like!”

There was little in common between now-President Trump and Pope Francis, who died Monday at 88. The two men sparred from afar on issues of immigration and the environment, adopted divergent approaches to the sumptuous trappings of their respective offices, and lived vastly different kinds of lives.

“That’s why I’ll never be Pope!” Trump responded to a commenter on his post in 2013, who observed “the difference between the Pope and you is the Pope doesn’t have to constantly brag how great he is.”

Yet for all the obvious differences, there was some overlap in how Francis and Trump arrived at their positions, and how they viewed their roles.

Each was elected as an outsider and brought to their office a pledge to represent society’s forgotten: for Trump, the American workers who he said Washington passed over in an era of globalization; and for Francis, the poor and marginalized often left to the side of a fast-changing world.

Both also sought dramatic changes to the institutions they ran: the sprawling federal government for Trump, and the billion-person strong Catholic Church for Francis.

“He’s a very good man who loved the world. And he especially loved people that were having a hard time. And that’s good with me,” Trump said Monday after ordering flags on federal buildings lowered to half staff.

Trump sent his love to American Catholics before quickly turning his remarks toward his strength among Catholic voters.

“We love you all, we’re with you all. They were with me through the election, as you know, very strongly,” Trump said at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. “It’s just an honor to have the support of the Catholics. I feel very badly for them because they love the pope.”

When they met during Trump’s first term at the Vatican in 2017 — their only face-to-face encounter — Trump and Francis had already been tangling on the issue of immigration after Francis declared anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants was “not a Christian.” Trump had spent the 2016 presidential campaign vowing to construct a wall along the Southern US border to keep migrants out.

Those differences were put aside during Trump’s visit, where he was accompanied by his wife Melania, who wore a traditional black veil. Both leaders appeared determined not to let their dispute spoil the encounter.

And like most presidents before him, Trump emerged from his meeting with the pope appearing starstruck.

“He is something, he’s really good. We had a fantastic meeting and we had a fantastic tour, it was really beautiful,” Trump said.

Trump and the first lady had arrived to the Vatican about a half-hour earlier, his long motorcade and armored black SUV a stark contrast to the blue Ford Focus that Francis himself had arrived in to work that day.

The meeting was not entirely devoid of politics. The pope presented Trump a copy of his influential encyclical document on preserving the environment, which was interpreted as an attempt by Francis to encourage Trump to adopt stronger efforts at combatting climate change. (It didn’t appear effective; Trump withdrew from the Paris climate accord a few weeks later).

Like many world leaders who watch Trump from afar, Francis found Trump easier to talk to than his harsh language on the campaign trail might have suggested.

He lightened the mood when shaking Melania Trump’s hand, asking her in Italian, “Did you give him potica to eat?” — referring to the Slovenian dessert few could imagine the glamorous former model whipping up in the White House kitchen.

Francis also handed Trump a medallion etched with the image of an olive tree, which he explained was “a symbol of peace.”

“We can use peace,” Trump responded. As they parted ways, Trump told him: “I won’t forget what you said.”

Influential meetings with Obama and Biden

The three US presidents who met Francis all found themselves moved by the experience in different ways. President Barack Obama took the rare step of traveling to Joint Base Andrews to greet Francis at the start of the pope’s blockbuster visit to the United States in 2015.

Later, the pope led a short parade in his open-air popemobile around the South Lawn, which was crowded with thousands who had come to witness a rare papal visit to the White House, some carrying babies for the pope to kiss.

The cultural moment couldn’t be denied several months later on Halloween, when the child of an administration official arrived to the annual White House trick-or-treating event dressed as the pontiff, complete with a tiny white car.

It was on that visit that Francis met privately with members of then-Vice President Joe Biden’s family in the immediate aftermath of his son Beau Biden’s death from cancer. Counseling the Biden’s inside an airplane hanger at the Philadelphia International Airport, Francis “provided us with more comfort that even he, I think, will understand,” Biden would later recount.

After he became president, Biden traveled to Rome amid a raging debate inside the US Catholic Church over whether he and other politicians who support abortion rights should receive communion. Afterward, Biden said Francis called him a “good Catholic” and that he should continue receiving the sacrament.

Last year, as he was preparing to depart office under a cloud of disappointment following his exit from the 2024 race and his vice president’s loss to Trump, Biden had planned to visit Rome again to meet Francis. The trip was canceled amid wildfires in Los Angeles, but in his final days as president Biden awarded Francis the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Trump and Francis would never meet again after their 2017 encounter. After Trump was elected to a second term, Francis took harsh aim at his administration’s plans for mass deportations, warning such a step would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity and “will end badly.”

It was a remarkable rebuke, issued in a letter to US bishops. It appeared to take aim at Vice President JD Vance for his defense of deportations on theological grounds.

“Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups,” the pope wrote, responding to Vance’s assertion that people should take care of their family, communities and country before expanding care to others.

In some ways, the rupture appeared to reflect a growing rift between traditionalist American Catholics and the Vatican under Francis, which had sought to be more inclusive of same-sex couples, women and other groups.

Still, the discord did not appear to seep into Vance’s meeting with Francis on Easter Sunday, just a day before he died. Vance appears to have been the last world leader Francis met before his death. He sat briefly with the pope in a reception room at the Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where he has lived since his election in 2013.

Vance, who has called himself a “baby Catholic” after converting to the faith as an adult, was on Vatican grounds on Sunday for less than 20 minutes, and the meeting hadn’t been confirmed ahead of time. During their short session, the pope gifted the vice president a tie, rosaries and three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance’s three children.

“I pray for you every day,” Vance could be heard telling the Pontiff as they sat together at the Vatican.

This story has been updated with Trump’s remarks on Monday.

CNN
 — 

The death of Pope Francis has triggered a period of mourning in the Vatican and signals the start of a millennia-old process of picking a new pontiff.

It is a procedure steeped in tradition, but one which has been subtly updated for the modern world.

Cardinals – senior church officials appointed by the pope – from around the world must gather for the conclave in which Francis’ successor is selected. It typically takes between two and three weeks for a pope to be chosen, though it can stretch slightly beyond that if cardinals struggle to agree on a candidate.

The voting process is kept secret but will take place with the eyes of the world on the Vatican and amid intense scrutiny of the Catholic Church – an institution whose reputation has been stained by the scandal of child sex abuse within its ranks, overshadowing the legacies of successive popes.

Here’s what you need to know about the coming days and weeks.

The “Papal Interregnum” – the period between the death of one pope and the election of another – began when Francis passed away on Monday.

Cardinals must now decide exactly when the funeral can take place, and after that, when conclave can begin. But much of the timeline is predetermined; the pope’s death triggered the start of nine days of mourning known as the Novendiales, and the pope must be buried between the fourth and sixth day after death. In the interim, the pope will be placed in a coffin, after which he will lie in state for several days until the funeral.

The body of the pope must also be displayed at St. Peter’s Basilica for mourning, and a mass will take place on each day. Mourners lined up for miles to see the body of Pope John Paul II, the last serving pontiff to die, in 2005.

It is likely that unofficial events will take place in tandem in Buenos Aires, where Francis lived before becoming the Bishop of Rome. In Warsaw, more than 200,000 gathered at the site where John Paul II, then Karol Wojtyla, returned as the new pope in 1979.

Then, at the end of the period of mourning, a large funeral Mass will take place at St. Peter’s. This is historically a huge event, with dignitaries expected from around the world. John Paul II’s funeral was attended by then-President George W. Bush and his two predecessors, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

If Francis has made a will that details how and when he would like to be buried, those wishes will be taken into account when the funeral is being arranged. While popes do not have to be buried in St. Peter’s, many have chosen to be buried there.

In December 2023, he told Mexican broadcaster N+ that he wished “to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore,” a significant Catholic church and papal basilica, in the Italian capital.

When a pope dies, the dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals calls for a meeting of all cardinals eligible to vote – those under the age of 80. They must all travel to the Vatican to do so. There are currently 136 eligible cardinals. But it’s worth remembering that in 1996, John Paul II set the maximum number of cardinals allowed to participate at 120.

Conclave is not expected to begin earlier than 15 days, nor later than 20 days, after the pope’s death – though it could get underway sooner if all the cardinal electors arrive in Rome quickly.

Inside the Sistine Chapel, the codified home of conclave, paper ballots are passed out to each cardinal, who writes the name of their chosen candidate below the words “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (Latin for “I elect as supreme pontiff”).

Technically, any Roman Catholic male can be elected pope. But the last pope not chosen from the College of Cardinals was Urban VI in 1379.

When they’re done, each cardinal – in order of seniority – walks to the altar to ceremoniously place his folded ballot into a chalice. The votes are then counted, and the result is read to the cardinals.

If a cardinal has received two-thirds of the vote, he becomes the new pope.

As many as four votes a day – two in the morning and two in the afternoon – can be held on the second, third and fourth days of the conclave. The fifth day is set aside to break for prayer and discussion, and then voting can continue for an additional seven rounds. After that, there’s another break and the pattern resumes.

News cameras will have their lenses fixed on a chimney on a Vatican rooftop for days – because that’s where the first confirmation of a new pope will be seen.

Ballots are burned after the votes, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. If a pope hasn’t been elected, the ballots will be burned along with a chemical that makes the smoke black.

If white smoke billows from the chimney, however, it means “sede vacante” (in Latin “with the chair vacant”) is over and a new pontiff has been chosen – which could happen up to 13 days after the start of conclave.

his speech, he urged world leaders to adopt concrete solutions to combat widespread poverty and environmental destruction.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2095″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>

during a visit in which he showed solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty. ” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1669″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

was there to pay tribute to those who died in the Holocaust. ” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1664″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

two-day trip to Egypt to forge Muslim-Christian brotherhood and show solidarity with the country’s persecuted Coptic Christian minority.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1569″ width=”2790″ loading=’lazy’/>

private audience at the Vatican in May 2017. Joining the President are his wife, Melania, and his daughter Ivanka.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2966″ width=”5272″ loading=’lazy’/>

the first time a pope has visited an Arab Gulf state, and it was the first time a pope had celebrated Mass in the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1403″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

his weekly blessing from the window of his private library in March 2020. St. Peter’s Square is normally swarming with tens of thousands of visitors, but the Vatican was on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, and it was Francis’ first trip outside Italy since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1654″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

shakes hands with a man dressed as Spider-Man while visiting with people at the Vatican in June 2021. The masked man, who works with sick children in hospitals, also gave a Spider-Man mask to the Pope.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

his trip to the Vatican in October 2021. Between them is Italian translator Elisabetta Savigni Ullmann. Challenge coins originated in the military, and this one included the insignia of a Delaware Army National Guard unit that Biden’s son Beau served in. Biden said during his visit that coins are given to “warriors and leaders” and that the pope is “the most significant warrior for peace I’ve ever met.” Biden, a devout lifelong Catholic, met with the Pope for 90 minutes and said he discussed “a lot of personal things” with the pontiff. It was the fourth meeting between Francis and Biden, but their first since Biden became President.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

Francis spoke of his “sorrow, indignation and shame” over the Catholic Church’s role in the abuse of Canadian Indigenous children in residential schools. He apologized and promised a “serious investigation” into what happened.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1973″ width=”3646″ loading=’lazy’/>

Benedict’s funeral was attended by tens of thousands at St. Peter’s Square.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>

Francis’ visit to the DRC — the first papal visit since 1985 — was part of a six-day trip that also included South Sudan. In those two countries, Catholics comprise about half of the population and the Church is a key stakeholder in health and education systems as well as in democracy-building efforts. ” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1334″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican in May 2023. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and the Pope since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The Pope has been outspoken in his support for an end to the war.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

He was on his way to a Rome hospital for abdominal surgery. The procedure was to repair a hernia that the Vatican said was causing “recurrent, painful and worsening” symptoms.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

working session on artificial intelligence during the G7 summit near Bari, Italy, in June 2024. Francis, the first pope to participate in the summit, is determined to use the soft power of his office to try to ensure that the development of AI serves humanity and does not turn into a 21st-century Frankenstein’s monster.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

leading a Holy Mass at the Esplanade of Tasi Tolu in Dili, East Timor, on September 10, 2024.
” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

the Pope was admitted to a hospital in Rome. It was later announced that he was battling pneumonia in both of his lungs.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

he was discharged from the Gemelli Hospital in Rome in March 2025. Though he looked frail and struggled to speak, he addressed the crowd outside the hospital, thanking them and acknowledging one woman in the crowd who was holding flowers. He also gave a blessing, though he appeared to have some difficulty raising his arms.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1242″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

Pope Francis’ life in pictures

Traditionally, about 30 to 60 minutes after the white smoke, the new pope will appear on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

His papal name will be announced, and the new pope will then speak briefly and say a prayer. His formal coronation will take place days after his election. The last two popes have been inaugurated in St. Peter’s Square.

The election of a pope is a deeply consequential decision for the Catholic Church, whose followers number some 1.3 billion around the world, according to the Vatican.

The record and beliefs of the next man to take the mantle will be scrutinized for clues as to the church’s next move.

Francis’ election was seen as something of a surprise; the first non-European leader in centuries, whose approach to many social issues was less strict than that of his predecessors.

Though he did not radically alter Catholic practices, Francis surprised global observers with comments on homosexuality and the death penalty that were far more accepting than Benedict XVI. Whether the cardinals choose to continue down that path, or revert towards a hardline interpreter of biblical teachings, will be one question that hangs over the election.

The consuming abuse scandal is another. In 2013, a group representing survivors of sexual abuse by priests named a “Dirty Dozen” list of cardinals it said would be the worst candidates for pope based on their handling of child sex abuse claims or their public comments about the cases.

All but one have aged out of eligibility or died, but undoubtedly the track record of the next pontiff when it comes to responding to and dealing with allegations of abuse will be pored over.

Rome
CNN
 — 

Pope Francis, a voice for the poor who overcame fierce resistance to reshape the Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday at the age of 88, the Vatican announced.

The pope passed away the morning after the holiest day in the Christian year, when the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Despite his poor health, Francis was seen a number of times in public at the Vatican during Holy Week, culminating in an Easter Sunday appearance where he delighted crowds at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The pope’s death was announced “with deep sorrow” by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, who said Francis died at 7:35 a.m local time (1.35 a.m. ET). Until a new pope is chosen, Farrell acts as the head of the Vatican.

“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the Triune God,” the statement said.

Francis suffered a severe health crisis earlier this year and was hospitalized for five weeks with double pneumonia. His doctors said later that the pope was so critically ill the staff considered stopping his treatment so he could die.

But the pope recovered from the worst illness and was discharged last month and was convalescing at his residence at Casa Santa Marta at the Vatican. The Vatican said as recently as last week that his health was improving.

While he did not lead any major services during the holiday period, the pope continued to hold engagements up to Easter Sunday, when he met briefly with US Vice President JD Vance.

Francis gave the traditional Easter blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s, although an aide read out the Urbi et Orbi on his behalf. He also rode the popemobile through the crowds gathered at the square, stopping several times to bless babies handed to him.

Vance said on X on Monday that he was happy to have seen the pope “though he was obviously very ill.”

“My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” Vance said.

his speech, he urged world leaders to adopt concrete solutions to combat widespread poverty and environmental destruction.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2095″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>

during a visit in which he showed solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty. ” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1669″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

was there to pay tribute to those who died in the Holocaust. ” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1664″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

two-day trip to Egypt to forge Muslim-Christian brotherhood and show solidarity with the country’s persecuted Coptic Christian minority.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1569″ width=”2790″ loading=’lazy’/>

private audience at the Vatican in May 2017. Joining the President are his wife, Melania, and his daughter Ivanka.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2966″ width=”5272″ loading=’lazy’/>

the first time a pope has visited an Arab Gulf state, and it was the first time a pope had celebrated Mass in the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1403″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

his weekly blessing from the window of his private library in March 2020. St. Peter’s Square is normally swarming with tens of thousands of visitors, but the Vatican was on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, and it was Francis’ first trip outside Italy since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1654″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

shakes hands with a man dressed as Spider-Man while visiting with people at the Vatican in June 2021. The masked man, who works with sick children in hospitals, also gave a Spider-Man mask to the Pope.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

his trip to the Vatican in October 2021. Between them is Italian translator Elisabetta Savigni Ullmann. Challenge coins originated in the military, and this one included the insignia of a Delaware Army National Guard unit that Biden’s son Beau served in. Biden said during his visit that coins are given to “warriors and leaders” and that the pope is “the most significant warrior for peace I’ve ever met.” Biden, a devout lifelong Catholic, met with the Pope for 90 minutes and said he discussed “a lot of personal things” with the pontiff. It was the fourth meeting between Francis and Biden, but their first since Biden became President.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

Francis spoke of his “sorrow, indignation and shame” over the Catholic Church’s role in the abuse of Canadian Indigenous children in residential schools. He apologized and promised a “serious investigation” into what happened.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1973″ width=”3646″ loading=’lazy’/>

Benedict’s funeral was attended by tens of thousands at St. Peter’s Square.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’/>

Francis’ visit to the DRC — the first papal visit since 1985 — was part of a six-day trip that also included South Sudan. In those two countries, Catholics comprise about half of the population and the Church is a key stakeholder in health and education systems as well as in democracy-building efforts. ” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1334″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican in May 2023. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and the Pope since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The Pope has been outspoken in his support for an end to the war.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

He was on his way to a Rome hospital for abdominal surgery. The procedure was to repair a hernia that the Vatican said was causing “recurrent, painful and worsening” symptoms.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

working session on artificial intelligence during the G7 summit near Bari, Italy, in June 2024. Francis, the first pope to participate in the summit, is determined to use the soft power of his office to try to ensure that the development of AI serves humanity and does not turn into a 21st-century Frankenstein’s monster.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’/>

leading a Holy Mass at the Esplanade of Tasi Tolu in Dili, East Timor, on September 10, 2024.
” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

the Pope was admitted to a hospital in Rome. It was later announced that he was battling pneumonia in both of his lungs.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

he was discharged from the Gemelli Hospital in Rome in March 2025. Though he looked frail and struggled to speak, he addressed the crowd outside the hospital, thanking them and acknowledging one woman in the crowd who was holding flowers. He also gave a blessing, though he appeared to have some difficulty raising his arms.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1242″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’/>

Pope Francis’ life in pictures

Condolences and tributes started to pour in shortly after the announcement was made. US President Donald Trump posted a brief statement on his Truth Social network, saying: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

Trump had a rocky relationship with Francis, whom he met at the Vatican in 2017. The pope’s tireless advocacy for migrants saw him sharply criticize Trump’s immigration deportation policies in the months before his death. Francis, whose pontificate was a counterweight to the rise of nationalist populism, often found himself under fire from powerful conservative Catholic forces in the US.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the pope “a great man and a great pastor,” and said she “had the privilege of enjoying his friendship, his advice and his teachings, which never failed even in moments of trial and suffering.”

Meloni said the pope “asked the world, once again, for the courage to change direction, to follow a path that ‘does not destroy, but cultivates, repairs, protects,’” adding that she will “walk in this direction.”

Javier Milei, President of Francis’s home country Argentina, said that “having been able to know him in his kindness and wisdom was a true honor for me.”

Milei had clashed with the pope over his country’s economic policies. On Monday, he said their differences “seem minor today.”

Britain’s King Charles said the pope will be “remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith, and to those of goodwill who work for the benefit of others.”

Charles and Queen Camilla paid a surprise visit to Pope Francis less than two weeks ago, during a state visit to Italy that coincided with the British royal couple’s 20th wedding anniversary.

Mourners began to arrive at St. Peter’s Square shortly after the announcement was made, with many seen praying, some of them in tears, as workers began removing the remaining Easter decorations. At noon local time, the bells of churches across the Italian capital began to toll slowly to mark the pontiff’s passing.

The pope’s death on Monday triggered the start of nine days of mourning. Francis’s body will be placed into a coffin on Monday evening, with a burial traditionally taking place between the fourth and sixth day after death.

The death of Francis, who became the first Latin American pontiff in 2013 and was one of the oldest popes in the church’s history, came weeks after he was discharged from a Rome hospital having battled a life-threatening case of pneumonia in both lungs.

His medical team said his condition had stabilized, allowing for him to continue his convalescence at his Casa Santa Marta residence back at the Vatican.

Two weeks after leaving hospital, he delighted the faithful by making a surprise appearance at St. Peter’s Square.

He has made a number of appearances since then, including spending 30 minutes at a prison in Rome on Thursday and a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday evening.

His death will now open a debate about the future direction of the Catholic Church, with cardinals from across the globe expected to gather in Rome to mourn the pontiff and then elect his successor.

An outsider figure and the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years, Francis championed the poor, migrants and the environment, but divisions over same-sex relationships and how to tackle abuse scandals within the church persisted throughout his pontificate.

First Latin American and Jesuit to be elected

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Italian migrants in Buenos Aires in 1936, was the first Latin American and member of the Jesuit order to be elected pope in the church’s 2,000-year history. He was also the first pope to call himself Francis.

The Argentinian pontiff quickly gained a reputation as a modernizer, with an outward-facing approach which saw him speak out boldly on humanitarian crises, such as migration, war and climate change.

He sought to reform the church by tackling elitist mentalities among the clergy, demanding a compassionate approach to divorced and gay Catholics and insisting that the church welcome everyone.

He took a series of measures to address financial corruption in the Vatican, and to tackle the scourge of clerical sexual abuse, including laws to hold bishops accountable for coverups. Francis also sought an enlarged role for women working in the Vatican and authorized priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples.

He built bridges with the Muslim world, while seeking to play the role of peacemaker in the face of global conflicts, particularly in Ukraine and the Middle East.

His reforms saw him face unprecedented resistance from ultra-conservatives inside the church, although progressive Catholics felt he should have gone further in allowing the ordination of married men as priests, shifting official teaching on homosexuality and giving a greater space for women in ministry.

Despite taking a series of tough measures, Francis also failed to quell the scandal of child sexual abuse and other forms of abuse that have plagued the Catholic Church – a disgrace that he made his personal responsibility to end, but which continued to damage the institutional church in multiple countries throughout his papacy.