The pope’s legacy, plus a second Signal chat with war plans
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Who was Pope Francis and what was his legacy?
Good morning. It's Monday, April 21st. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, how Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth sent war plans in a second signal chat, the Supreme Court issues a rare overnight ruling on deportations, and the world's oldest marathon, the Boston Marathon, is today. But first, Pope Francis has died. His death was announced early this morning by the Vatican. He was 88 years old. Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, had been discharged from a hospital just last month where he was diagnosed with double pneumonia. He died after the holiest weekend in the year for Catholics. Just a day earlier, Pope Francis oversaw Easter mass services and blessed thousands of worshipers in St. Peter's Square.
Francis had many firsts to his name, including being the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pontiff, and the first non-European to lead the Catholic Church in close to 1,000 years. He was elected in 2013 and was seen as a fresh voice attempting to modernize the papacy. He said the Vatican needed to evolve from its strict orthodoxy on abortion, birth control, and homosexuality, and embrace being more merciful. Joshua McElwee is the Vatican correspondent for Reuters and spoke to us about Francis's legacy.
How did Pope Francis approach modernization and controversial issues in the Church?
He had a style that was very gregarious, very outgoing, and was really known for wanting to open up the church to the modern world. Many people might remember that his first act as the Pope was to ask the people in Rome on his election in 2013 to pray for him and to bless him. He's also the Pope known for opening up the church to being more welcoming to LGBTQ members, famously asking, when asked about a priest who was gay,
Francis was often referred to as the people's pope, but his openness to modifying the church's teachings made him a controversial figure to many.
Pope Francis faced some pushback from cardinals who thought perhaps he was going too fast or perhaps had a more progressive view of the church. A few years ago, he allowed for priests to, on a case-by-case basis, offer blessings to people in same-sex unions. Obviously, the Catholic Church has a teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman, so that was controversial for some people. Francis tried to emphasize that it was about blessing the individual person and not necessarily the same-sex union.
Two of the issues Francis was most outspoken about were climate change and the plight of immigrants.
He acknowledged that climate change was real. He said the science was real. And he expressed concern about a world that was, in his words, becoming one of filth and ruin. He asked for the world's leaders to do more to stop climate change.
He even took on President Trump.
One of the last acts of his papacy, he wrote a letter to the U.S. bishops kind of rebuking some of President Trump's rhetoric and saying that migrants are not necessarily criminals. They are people who are seeking a better life, and the church has an obligation to help them and to not get drawn into political debates, but to be helpful to people who are in need.
In that letter, the pope specifically called out Vice President J.D. Vance, who is a Catholic, for defending Trump's deportation plans on theological grounds. Yesterday, on Easter Sunday, the two met, with Pope Francis presenting the vice president with three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance's three kids, as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries. Vance told the pope he prays for him every day. The Pope was also outspoken about the war in Gaza and has called for an investigation to determine if Israel's attacks constitute genocide. And he has said he remains in near daily contact with a parish in the Gaza Strip. These positions and his general approach to the papacy earned him many admirers, McElwee told us.
What were Pope Francis's key stances on climate change and immigration?
For a large part of the Catholic population, I think people found Francis to be open. He also was someone who had a reputation for being humble. He had decided not to live in the apartment that the Pope normally lives in at the Vatican, which is part of a Renaissance palace. It's called the Apostolic Palace.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Who was Pope Francis and what was his legacy?
0:05–1:33
2
How did Pope Francis approach modernization and controversial issues in the Church?
1:33–3:59
3
What were Pope Francis's key stances on climate change and immigration?
3:59–7:29
4
What is known about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Signal chats involving war plans?
7:29–8:47
5
Who was included in the second Signal group chat and why is it controversial?
8:47–11:25
6
What are the implications of the Pentagon's internal chaos and leadership issues?
11:25–15:38
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