Condolences Pour In from World Leaders Including Putin
Funeral Expected to Be Simple in Accordance with Pope's Will
Process to Elect New Pope to Begin Next Month
As Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 on April 21 (local time), messages of condolence and remembrance poured in from around the world. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on public buildings and announced his intention to attend the Pope's funeral. The government of Argentina, the Pope's homeland, declared a seven-day national mourning period. In accordance with the late Pope's will, which requested to be buried outside the Vatican without special decorations, the funeral of Pope Francis is expected to be held in a simple manner. Attention is now focused on whether, for the first time, a non-white Pope from Asia or Africa will be elected in the papal selection process set to begin next month.
Trump to Attend Funeral with Melania... Argentina Declares Seven Days of National Mourning
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered flags on public buildings to be flown at half-staff to mourn the passing of Pope Francis. Although President Trump and Pope Francis had differing views on various international issues, including refugees, since Trump's first term, Trump described the late Pope as "a good man," saying, "He worked hard and loved the world." President Trump is scheduled to attend Pope Francis's funeral with his wife, Melania. If President Trump visits Italy for the funeral, it will mark his first overseas trip since his return to office in January.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed his condolences over the passing of Pope Francis. According to TASS news agency, President Putin told reporters that Pope Francis "expressed a very positive attitude toward Russia," adding, "We will remember this." President Putin met Pope Francis during his visits to the Vatican in 2013, 2015, and 2019, and had his last phone conversation with the Pope in December 2021.
Even Israel and Iran, longtime rivals in the Middle East, issued joint messages of condolence for the passing of Pope Francis. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, leader of a deeply Catholic nation, wrote on X, "I mourn the passing of Pope Francis," adding, "His commitment to peace, social justice, and the most vulnerable has left a profound legacy."
French President Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the next Chancellor of Germany, also sent messages of condolence. In response to the news of the Pope's passing, the Argentine government, his homeland, declared a seven-day national mourning period.
Pope Francis, who led 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide for 12 years, struggled with respiratory illnesses throughout his life. In his youth, he had part of a lung removed and often suffered from bronchitis and other respiratory diseases during the winter. Due to persistent respiratory issues, the Pope had been hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli Hospital since February 14 for treatment. However, the direct cause of death was a cerebrovascular disease. Andrea Arcangeli, head of the Vatican's Health and Hygiene Department, announced that the Pope fell into a coma due to a stroke and died from irreversible heart failure that evening.
Until his last day, he called for an end to war and longed for world peace. In his final Easter homily, delivered the day before his passing, Pope Francis said, "The situation in Gaza is deplorable," urging the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire and release hostages, and appealing for help for the hungry who long for a future of peace.
Pope's Will: 'Bury Me in a Simple Grave'... Italian and Filipino Cardinals Emerge as Leading Successors
The final journey of Pope Francis is expected to be held simply, in accordance with his will. Pope Francis left a will requesting to be buried in a simple grave without special decorations in the crypt of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Among his 265 predecessors, 148 Popes were interred in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The Vatican explained that the Pope requested no special decorations for his grave but wished for his papal name to be inscribed in Latin (Franciscus). The official mourning period is typically nine days, and the funeral is expected to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican for four to six days.
With the Pope's passing, the global Catholic Church has entered a period known as 'sede vacante' (the vacancy of the Holy See). The Holy See refers to the position entrusted by Jesus to Peter, the chief apostle and first Pope; the 'sede vacante' is the period when the papal seat is vacant due to the Pope's death or resignation.
Accordingly, the process to elect the next Pope is expected to begin next month. Cardinal Pietro Parolin (Italy), Secretary of State of the Vatican, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines) are being mentioned as leading candidates. Cardinal Parolin has served as the Vatican's number two official for over ten years since 2013, earning a reputation for his extensive bureaucratic experience. Cardinal Tagle, known for his reformist stance and Asian heritage, is also considered a strong contender for the next Pope. To date, no Pope has come from Asia. Clergy from Africa are also being considered as non-European candidates; Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson (Ghana), who served as the first Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, has also been mentioned as a possible successor. If an African is elected Pope, it will be the first time since Gelasius I, who served from 492 to 496, in 1,529 years.
On this day, U.S. betting site Polymarket predicted a 42% probability for Cardinal Parolin to be elected, and a 30% probability for Cardinal Tagle.
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