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Pope Francis has died at 88, the Vatican confirmed in the early hours of Easter Monday. “At 7:35 a.m., he returned to the house of the Father,” announced Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell.
In March, the pontiff returned from a five-week-long hospitalization after experiencing respiratory issues and a double case of pneumonia. He died in his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, near St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where he had been transferred after his hospitalization at Gemelli Hospital. Sources at Gemelli told the press that Francis “passed away peacefully.”
Born in Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936, to a family of Italian descent, Jorge Mario Bergoglio took up the papal throne on March 13, 2013. His election marked a series of firsts: He was the first cardinal from a non-European country to be elected pope, as well as the first Jesuit. In a choice considered by many to be symbolic and revolutionary, he was additionally the first to choose the name Francis, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, a humble figure who led a life in service to the poor and marginalized—reflecting both the theological and political approach of Bergoglio’s pontificate.
“Immediately, I thought of St Francis of Assisi,” he said in 2013. “Francis was a man of peace, a man of poverty, a man who loved and protected creation.”
Following Benedict XVI’s resignation in February 2013, Francis was also the first pope in the modern age to succeed his predecessor before the latter’s death.
Pope Francis will be remembered for a reign he described as a “revolution of tenderness.” Through his tenure as a leader of the Catholic Church, he addressed issues including the abuse of minors by priests and the ambiguous financial management of certain Vatican institutions.
During his papacy, he also took a more progressive stance on issues such as divorce, the removal of the celibacy rule for priests, greater roles for women in the church, and allowing gay men to enter the clergy. Still, critiques and controversies surrounded his tenure, including a recent report of his derogatory language regarding gay people. In the world of politics, he was vocal on socioeconomic inequalities all over the world and called for a ceasefire and peace in Gaza, using his final public appearance on Easter Sunday to denounce the war. “I appeal to the warring parties: Call a ceasefire, release the hostages, and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace,” he said to thousands of Catholic pilgrims who had gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Vatican’s open-air mass.
He continued his call for peace in his last Urbi et Orbi address. “I would like us to return to the hope that peace is possible…. May the light of peace radiate over the entire Holy Land and the whole world.”
What happens next? The funeral and the conclave
As always, the death of a pontiff like Pope Francis marks the beginning of a long and complex ritual rooted in the church’s age-old traditions. The death notice is given by the camerlengo (the aforementioned Farrell, an Irish-born cardinal), a Vatican official who oversees the day-to-day operations of the Holy See during the sede vacante—the period between the death of a pope and the election of a successor.
The bronze door of St. Peter’s is half closed, and the bells are rung with a hammer. The pontiff’s body is then transported to the Sistine Chapel, where it is embalmed and clothed in preparation for a three-day display to the faithful who come on pilgrimage. But following changes made by Pope Francis, his body will not be displayed on an opulent catafalque, as previous popes have been, but instead in a simple open wooden coffin so that he can be treated “with dignity, but like every Christian.”
The pope’s funeral, known as the Missa Poenitentialis, will take place in St. Peter’s Square in front of pilgrims and delegates of the world’s governments and will be broadcast internationally. Typically, the pontiff’s body is placed in a casket made of three materials—cypress, lead, and walnut—and then covered with a silk veil before being sealed and transported under the basilica to the Vatican Grottoes, where the remains of almost all his predecessors rest. However, Pope Francis changed this process too: He asked to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, his favorite place of prayer even before he became pope. He also simplified the funeral ritual, reducing the vigils from two to one and eliminating the ceremony of closing the coffin.
Then begins the period of the conclave, the collegial gathering of all the cardinal electors who will meet in the Vatican to elect Francis’s successor. Its name comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “with key,” describing the closed process of electing a new pope. Usually, it begins 15 to 20 days after the pontiff’s death, allowing cardinals from around the world to reach Rome. However, here, too, Pope Francis streamlined procedures, urging the cardinals to advance the start of the conclave if all the electors are already in the Vatican before the canonical 15 days.
Of the more than 220 cardinals from over 70 countries, those over age 80 are excluded from voting, meaning there are only around 120 voting cardinal electors. Two thirds of the cardinal electors were chosen by Francis in the last decade, with many of an age and sensibility that reflected his own relative progressivism.
The gathered cardinals will then begin their deliberations in the Sistine Chapel. Someone will announce, “Extra omnes,” calling for the doors to be locked against all but the voting cardinals, some officials, and doctors. No contact with the outside world is allowed during the process: Phones are removed, and the room is checked for listening devices. The cardinals stay in Casa Santa Marta, a purpose-built hostel, throughout the vote.
Following a mass, deliberations and voting will take place with breaks for prayer after every seven ballots. A daily secret vote will happen each morning and afternoon until a candidate achieves a two-thirds majority. After 30 ballots with no solid result, a candidate will be elected on a simple majority. Ballot cards are burned after each round, with chemicals added to reflect the result: The iconic chimney will pump with black smoke to indicate no decision, and white smoke will confirm the new pope.
Once a new pope has been elected with a conclusive result, the candidate will be asked if he accepts and to state his chosen name. The cardinals present will then pledge to the new pope, and he will be dressed in the Room of Tears, a small antechamber within the Sistine Chapel.
The dean will then emerge onto the St. Peter’s Basilica balcony to announce: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus papam,” which means, “I announce to you with great joy: We have a pope.”
World reactions
Statements and condolences have already come from across the world for Pope Francis.
“It is with great sadness that Jill and I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis,” former US president Joe Biden wrote on X. “Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time, and I am better for having known him. 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.”
“From Buenos Aires to Rome, Pope Francis wanted the Church to bring joy and hope to the poorest. To unite people with one another and with nature. May this hope be reborn endlessly beyond him,” said French president Emmanuel Macron.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
