Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?

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What happened to Pope Francis and when did he die?

Jessica Mendoza 0:10
Yesterday, on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis graced the public with his presence outside the Vatican, for the last time.
Margherita Stancati 0:19
He appeared on the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica. He blessed the crowd that had gathered there for Easter.
Jessica Mendoza 0:26
Dear brothers and sisters,
Margherita Stancati 0:30
The Pope seemed very frail and still breathless. Our colleague Margarita Stancati is based in Rome. Pope Francis had a life-threatening bout with pneumonia recently. He wished everybody Happy Easter. And then he also got on his Popemobile and drove through the crowd. And that was the last time we saw him in public. So this morning, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had died. It was a shock because the Pope had appeared a few hours ago yesterday in public, and so it was really not expected. At 7.35 a.m.,
Margherita Stancati 1:28
The Vatican said that the Pope had died at 7.35 this morning in his apartment in the Vatican. The death of a Pope is a huge deal for the Catholic Church. Popes serve until they die. So whenever a Pope changes, they can stay in their office for many years, even decades.
Jessica Mendoza 1:57
And so with the death of Pope Francis, what's the burning question that you as a reporter and Catholics around the world will have?
Margherita Stancati 2:07
Well, Pope Francis was in some ways a social justice warrior. He was definitely seen as progressive within the Catholic Church. So the big question looming as the Vatican prepares to elect another pope is whether that legacy will continue with a new pope or he will take it in a different direction.
Jessica Mendoza 2:31
Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Jessica Mendoza. It's Monday, April 21st. Coming up on the show, Pope Francis has died. What's next for the Catholic Church?
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Jessica Mendoza 3:25
Who was Pope Francis?
Margherita Stancati 3:26
Can you tell us a bit about who he was as a person? So Pope Francis was born in Argentina, in Buenos Aires, in 1936. He was the first of five children. The family was of Italian origin. And he spent his youth in Argentina. That's where he became a priest and where he also first became a bishop.
Jessica Mendoza 3:52
Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio and was ordained as a Jesuit when he was in his early 30s. In 2001, he became a cardinal. He built a reputation for living modestly, cooking his own meals and taking public transit. And he was known for ministering to people in the shanty towns of Buenos Aires. In 2013, he became a surprising pick to lead a worldwide population of Catholics that now exceeds an estimated 1.4 billion people. Francisco.
Jessica Mendoza 4:30
A Jesuit pope from Argentina, the first pope in 2,000 years from the New World. Francis was a pope of firsts, the first to come from the Americas.
Margherita Stancati 4:46
He was the first pope from the Jesuit order and the first pope to take the name Francis. And he took that name after St. Francis of Assisi, who was a medieval saint who famously renounced his wealth and embraced a life of poverty. And that is a message that Pope Francis wanted to give at the outset of his papacy and that he stayed true throughout his reign. After he became Pope, he decided to drive around in a simple car and afford focus. He refused to live in the luxurious apostolic palace, instead choosing a modest apartment in the Vatican's guest house. And he always made a point of spending time with the poor, with the homeless, and even with prison inmates. Pope Francis washing the feet of 12 women prisoners.

Who was Pope Francis and what was his background?

Jessica Mendoza 5:42
Francis brought his personal ethos to the church itself. He criticized corruption in the Vatican Bank, which had been beset with scandal. His efforts there included improving financial transparency and preventing money laundering. And his progressive ideas were reflected in the way he approached issues that the church has historically opposed.
Margherita Stancati 6:01
He was much more informal and he adopted much more lenient positions on issues that ranged from homosexuality to contraception to divorce.

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