Pope Francis: "Death is a New Beginning"
- editorinchief32
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
By Emma Thomson
Pope Francis gave an Easter address to thousands of spectators mere hours before death.
The Pope's cause of death was a cerebral stroke which led to a coma, followed by cardiac arrest. This comes after months of ill health and suffering from pneumonia. The announcement came at 7:35am CEST on Monday 21st April. He was aged 88.
Despite this he greeted and blessed worshippers from the popemobile just the day before on Easter Sunday at the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square. Pope Francis also exchanged “good wishes” with JD Vance that morning, whom he had shunned just days earlier after criticising the Trump administrations policy on immigration.
In his final testament, which was shared by the Vatican, in line with his commitment to simplicity and modesty, he requested to be buried “in the ground, without particular ornamentation” with the inscription “Franciscus”. He also wished to be laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, where six earlier popes are also buried, rather than at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. This is due to the church’s importance to him as the place where he visited at the start and end of every apostolic trip during his 12-years as pope, and after every time he returned to the Vatican following a hospital stay.
Funeral plans will now be prepared, with the cardinals meeting today to discuss the timetable. It has been decided that his funeral will take place on Saturday which will be the first of nine days of mourning. A Vatican spokesperson has said that his coffin will be moved from Casa Santa Marta chapel, where it currently lies, to St Peter’s Square to allow worshippers and mourners to pay their respects. This could be done as early as Wednesday morning. His home country of Argentina, and the highly Catholic neighbouring Brazil will also now observe 7 days of mourning.
From Bouncer, to Janitor, to the Pope
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, grew up in Buenos Aires in 1936. His parents were immigrants who had fled fascism in Italy. Before becoming pope, he worked as a nightclub bouncer, a janitor, and a chemical technician. He also studied theology and philosophy, and taught literature and psychology. His life was one of simplicity, even after he became a priest, often choosing to use public transport and forgoing the grandeur of his office. He was well known for his pastoral care and outreach to the poor.
He was a Pope of many firsts – the first non-European Pope in centuries, the first to adopt the name Francis, the first from Latin America, and the first Jesuit to become Pope. Francis of Assisi inspired his adoption of the name Francis, and he certainly lived up to his name with his advocacy for the marginalised and poor which is what he was known for.
In his last public address, on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Even during his time in hospital, he continued to check in with Christian Palestinians at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza.
The world will now be watching as the process to appoint a new pope gets under way. His appointment in 2013 sought to overhaul an ancient and divided institution reeling from sex abuse scandals. However, he was still plagued by some high-profile cases where he was seen to side with the accused. During his time as pope, he made the church more inclusive sometimes going against centuries of popular consensus by ordaining women to several high-profile positions in the Vatican, and assuring LGBTQ+ people that God loved them as they were. He also apologised for the Catholic churches' role during colonialism in crimes against Indigenous peoples and made inroads with inter-religious dialogue by meeting with Muslim religious leaders and visiting several Muslim countries. As well as this, he used his platform to make warnings about climate change and capitalism.
Whilst some wish he’d gone further; a lot of Catholic leaders now want a pope that can bridge the gap between conservatism and progressivism after years of turbulence during Pope Francis’ tenure. There is also seen to be a power struggle between the Global North and Global South due to the fact that while churches in the former hold the most power, most Catholics live in the latter. Therefore, some expect the new pope will likely be from the global south to help bridge this divide.
His new Book, titled 'Hope: An Autobiography' is available to buy now. The preface reads: "Death is a New Beginning".
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