On April 21, Pope Francis passed away at 10:35 p.m. (PST) in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Maria. His death was announced at 12:45 p.m. by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is now acting as the Vatican’s administrator.
The pope’s body will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica this coming Wednesday as a way to give time for people to pray in front of his physical body. Meanwhile, Cardinal Farrell, the Irish American camerlengo of the Roman Catholic Church, will be running the affairs of the Vatican until a new pope is elected.
“When I saw the news this morning, it felt almost unreal,” sophomore Arria Shimizu said. “Even though it was relatively short, Pope Francis had been the pope for as a long as I can remember,”
As for civilian life, churches and cathedrals across countries are holding spaces for people to mourn and pay respects to the late pope. Additionally, the Vatican held a prayer service for Pope Francis this morning at 10:30 a.m. Convent and Stuart Hall students were also invited to participate if they have a resource period during that time, according to freshman Anika Agarwal.
As people continue to mourn the pope, many reflect the pope’s accomplishments during his time serving the Vatican. During his life, Pope Francis encouraged action against climate change and pollution, cared for migrants and was known as a pope for the excluded and marginalized, according to CatholicBridge.
“I wasn’t able to watch the service, but I do know that Pope Francis was a loving teacher,” Agarwal said. “I know that he really put an emphasis on human connection and peace in the world,”
Within the next 15-20 days, the cardinals will be summoned to Rome for a conclave in order to elect the next pope. However, during this time, while the seat of the pope remains empty, the College of Cardinals is not allowed to make any major decisions.
“His death is saddening, but I think it comes with some silver lining,” Shimizu said. “Seeing people come together for him, and seeing all the people whose lives he touched is heartwarming.”
