After the most enjoyable part of the Catholic Church calendar, her faithful lament the loss of their clergy.
Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, passed away on Easter on Monday, April 21, 2025, the Vatican announced. He was 88 years old.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a Camerlengo in the Apostles' House, said at 7:35am that Francis “returned to his father's house” after fighting a pulmonary infection that led to double pneumonia. The late high priest suffered many health issues during his 12-year Pope's final months. He was elected in March 2013 after the resignation of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. (The latter died on December 31, 2022.
A day before his death, Pope Francis met briefly with Vice President J.D. Vance. Vatican officials described the short audience as an opportunity to exchange Easter greetings, but the media saw it as derived from issues of immigration policy in a different perspective than the tensions between Francis and the Trump administration. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, had previously invoked the concept of medieval Catholicism, to justify the strict deportation of illegal aliens. The Pope rebutted with a sharply expressed letter, rebuking Vance's interpretation, emphasizing “love that builds open friendship to all.”
This controversy is one of many in Francis' Pope, and is characterized by his radical and polarizing policies.
From his soft stand for homosexuality to allowing pro-aboration politicians to receive communion, Francis has sparked backlash since his first few days as church head. He criticizes her for being “obsessed” with issues such as abortion, birth control and sodomy union. He denounced market-based capitalism while promoting world government under the pretext of saving Mother Earth from catastrophic artificial climate change.
Last summer he split Carlo Maria Vigano, who separated the Vatican whistleblower. Vigano previously accused Francis of covering up sexual misconduct among the churches of high-ranking churches. He called on the clergy to resign.
About a debate conference of Francis, which some people called the “hostile takeover of the Catholic Church” could become his most enduring mark.
His death leaves the Catholics wondering whether his successor will continue to dig deeper cracks within the church. During the following month, Cardinal of College College will gather at Conclave to elect the next Pope. So far, the media has not reported a clear frontrunner, but there is speculation that African and Asian Catholic growth could have a major impact on decisions amid the decline in the West.
