Pope Francis died on Easter Monday
Image: Getty
Pope Francis, the head of the global Catholic Church and its ~1.4 billion global followers, passed away early Monday at the age of 88 due to a stroke and heart failure.
Pope Francis, a history
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, Francis was the first pope from the Americas, as well as the first from the Jesuit order. He was initially ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1969 and later made a cardinal in 2001.
- In 2013, Francis was elected to head the Church following the unusual resignation of Pope Benedict XVI amid internal conflict over alleged financial management, as well as its response to an emerging sexual abuse crisis among clergy.
- During his papacy, Pope Francis led efforts to reform the Vatican’s finances and enact other structural changes. In 2019, he also held an unprecedented Church leadership summit centered around sexual misconduct to establish new procedures for reporting and responding to allegations.
Francis also embraced political activism. He consistently advocated for migrants and other marginalized groups, urged grassroots activists to bridge the gap between rich and poor, encouraged laws supporting same-sex civil unions (outside of marriage), and called on wealthier countries to better protect the environment.
Many of his detractors—including those within the Church—argue Francis’ actions served to further divide the church over contentious moral and political issues like homosexuality, environmentalism, wealth inequality, and immigration.
The next steps
Pope Francis’ funeral will be held this Saturday. The College of Cardinals, which elects each new pope, will hold a papal conclave sometime between May 6-12. The Vatican regards the conclave as an act of total secrecy—all participating cardinals must swear an oath of secrecy under threat of excommunication, and are forbidden from outside communication while it’s ongoing.
- Inside the conclave, electors vote via secret ballots until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority, with the process repeating 4x/day for however long is necessary.
- The public is updated after each vote through smoke signals created by burning ballots. White smoke means that cardinals have chosen a new pope, while black smoke means another vote is needed.
See the top contenders to succeed Pope Francis here.
📊 Flash poll: In general, how would you describe your opinion of Pope Francis?
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Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that Pope Francis was one of the most consequential pontiffs in modern history, often fighting the right fights—like climate change—but also seeming blind to other problems.
- Others contend that Pope Francis can’t be neatly placed on the US political spectrum, but his legacy is creating a bridge to the future that makes the Church more relevant without betraying its core teachings.
- “Pope Francis pulled the Catholic Church into the 21st century” –WaPo Editorial Board
- “American politics has poisoned how we think about the pope” –Christian Paz, Vox
- “Pope Francis’ Gay Muddle” –Frank Bruni, NY Times
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that Pope Francis was best known for urging concern for the poor, in the best Christian tradition—but unfortunately, he also believed in ideologies that keep the poor in poverty.
- Others contend that Pope Francis’ legacy includes demystifying his office’s authority in the eyes of more conservative Catholics, who were the last remaining believers of the pope’s infallibility.
- “The Legacy of Pope Francis, 1936-2025” –WSJ Editorial Board
- “Francis and the End of the Imperial Papacy” –Ross Douthat, NY Times
- “Pope Francis: Love over hatred, light over darkness” –Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board
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