Pope Francis, originally from Argentina, passed away at age 88 on April 21, 2025, at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta due to a stroke followed by a coma, according to The New York Times. The Pope was announced dead the day after he blessed the faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
After his predecessor, Benedict XVI, Pope Francis became the new pope in 2013 and served a 12-year papacy. Unlike previous popes, Francis filled the church’s leadership with a diverse group of bishops who shared a welcoming approach to various groups of people.
Francis traveled to other countries to improve relationships and meet leaders from many aspects of the Christian religion. He also advocated for different causes, standing up for victims who were sexually assaulted by Catholic clergy members, and aiding impoverished migrants. According to an article from The New York Times, he adopted new rules to hold bishops accountable for committing sexual abuse. At the same time, the traditional base of the Vatican’s power did not like his unpredictable governing style.
Pope Francis’s death led to the start of a vast list of traditions dating back centuries, one of which is Novemdiales: a nine-day period of mourning that began with his funeral in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. The process to select the next pope is called a conclave, which began after the conclusion of Novemdiales on May 7, as mentioned by CBS News. Around 135 cardinal electors gathered at the Vatican to begin an ancient ritual created to elect the next pope. During this ritual, the cardinals repeatedly cast votes for the candidate of their choice until one candidate receives a two-thirds-plus-one majority and becomes the 267th pope.
On May 8, Leo XIV was elected as the first American pope, replacing Pope Francis. Leo is a 69-year-old from Chicago who most recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments and is expected to build on Pope Francis’ reforms, according to a CNN article that was published the same day as the election.
While this death rocks many members of the Catholic Church, choosing the next pope has become the new distraction and top priority of the Vatican. Pope Francis left his controversial mark on Catholicism, and now, it is time for Pope Leo XIV to try and both fill his shoes while paving his own path as the new pope.
