Pope Francis, First Latin American Pontiff, Dies at Eighty-Eight Years Old

What Happened?

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis, who was eighty-eight years old, died yesterday. No cause of death was given in the announcement. 

Though the Vatican statement publicly release a cause of death, during the past few years Pope Francis had suffered from recurring respiratory infections. He had also undergone colon and abdominal surgery, and experienced increasing mobility problems, often requiring the use of a cane and wheelchair.

Pope Francis had also been disregarding medical advice to convalesce for two months and avoid large crowds. Instead, he kept working, making public appearances and holding private audiences both before and during the Easter holiday.

Why it Matters

As the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope provides leadership to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. In accordance with tradition, the day after the Pope’s death, a group called the College of Cardinals will gather in what is known as the general congregation. To discuss the plans for the pope’s funeral and the process of choosing a successor. All the church’s cardinals who can take part in the election council, which can be traced all the way back to 1059, will participate.

The council of cardinals has met in the Sistine Chapel to vote for the next pope since 1878. Up to 120 cardinals can take part, but each must be younger than 80 on the day the conclave opens. The conclave will meet 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death. The word, which comes from ‘con clave,’ Latin for ‘with key,’ dates to 1274, when Pope Gregory X declared that electors should be locked away and unable to leave until they had chosen a new pope.

Pope Francis often courted controversy within the Vatican and even among Catholics in general. According to papal biographer, Marco Piliti, Pope Francis ‘took off the table all the obsessions the church had with issues of sexuality,’ and focused more on pastoralism and outreach. While Pope Francis’ approach was welcomed by the LBGT community, his stances tended to rankle more traditional and conservative Catholics. 

Pope Francis was also outspoken on the issue of migration, often criticizing countries including the United States for their immigration policies. That produced a political backlash, especially among American conservatives. Pope Francis also criticized the wars in Israel and Ukraine while calling for warring nations to do more to protect non-combatants. 

While there are several potential frontrunners to be the next Pope, an old Italian proverb warns against putting much faith into any of the favorites. Reflecting a tradition which recognizes that sometimes the College of Cardinals makes unexpected selections, as they did with Pope Francis.

How it Affects You

For the sixty million Catholics in the United States, the selection of the next Pope will undoubtedly have an impact on the ongoing culture wars which have come to define American politics. The next pope will face a world beset by a number of challenges, from war and natural disasters to famine and poverty.