On Easter Monday, April 21st, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. The election for his replacement will begin next week on May 7th.
Francis was the first Jesuit Latin American pope and focused on inclusivity after years of conservative leadership. He focused on social and global issues like helping the poor and immigrants. Pope Francis advocated for being welcoming to members of the LGBTQ+ community and non traditional marriages. He also, by the end of his position, held religious catholic leaders accountable for the sexual abuse sadly running through the catholic church. Although he wasn’t perfect he actively worked towards peace and helping the marginalized people in the Catholic Church.
He passed due to a stroke and heart failure after previously spending months in the hospital because of a respiratory tract infection and double pneumonia. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a statement on the day of Pope Francis’s passing.
His funeral took place on April 26th at St. Peter’s Basilica where about 250,000 people attended. During the funeral procession, Pallbearers carried him through crowds of almost 140,000 people who lined the streets of Rome mourning his death. The popemobile then drove him to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major where he was laid to rest. “He was a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone. The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open,” said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re in his homily.
On May 7th, the conclave made of 135 cardinal electors will be selecting Pope Francis’s new successor. Any baptized catholic male can become the next pope but it’s tradition for a cardinal to be selected and as of right now there are multiple contenders being considered. “The role of the pope is to essentially hold us together and that’s the grace we’ve been given from God,” said British Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
