In news that broke just after Easter Sunday, it has been announced by the Vatican that Pope Francis II has passed away in the early morning of Monday, April 21, just hours after he celebrated the Resurrection and met with United States Vice President JD Vance.
Such is what was announced at 9:45 AM Vatican time (GMT +2) by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber. Cardinal Farrell issued a statement in which he announced the death of the pope from the Casa Santa Marta, saying that Francis is with his Father in heaven now.
Beginning the statement, Cardinal Farrell said, “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.”
Continuing, the cardinal described what Francis was known for before his passing, noting that he focused on the poor and marginalized. He said, “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized.”
He added, concluding the statement, that Francis was a “true disciple” of Christ Jesus, saying, “With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”
Commenters online quickly chimed in, praying for Francis while also saying they hope the church finds a better, less woke pope. Tom Renz, for example, wrote, “BREAKING: Pope Francis is dead. As a Catholic I’ve been incredibly unhappy with what this guys has done and frequently said he is not my pope. That said, I pray for his soul and for the Church to find new leadership that can lead her back to the values we expect from the church founded by Christ.”
Similarly, conservative commentator Joey Mannarino wrote, commenting on the pope’s leftism, “Pope Francis is dead as of this morning. Now, hopefully, we can get a conservative into that position who will preach Catholicism rather than Communism.”
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Another poster, Dan Burmawi, similarly noted that Francis had done little to push back against the rising tide of Islamic terrorism, saying, “Pope Francis is Dead. May he rest in Peace. He spent his reign bending the knee, kissing feet, and preaching dialogue with an ideology that doesn’t negotiate. Islamic jihad is tearing through Europe while the Vatican played the role of a pacified, neutered institution.”
He continued, noting the sort of man the church needs is different than Francis, “The Church doesn’t need another soft-spoken diplomat, it needs a warrior. The next pope must be a man who understands that appeasement is suicide. Cardinal Raymond Burke, Cardinal Péter Erdő and Cardinal Robert Sarah are great candidates.”
Concluding, he said, “They understand the existential crisis facing Europe, and they have boldly criticized the West’s reckless immigration policies, and warned against the demographic and ideological shifts that threaten the continent’s Christian identity. The next pope cannot be another passive administrator or a well-meaning diplomat.”
Watch Vance meet with Francis shortly before his death here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video