Pope Francis' Death And What Is Next

Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) passed away earlier today after a last Easter appearance on Sunday. He was age 88. He had been suffering from a bilateral lung infection since February 14, 2025. Francis has been considered to have been a liberal force within the Catholic Church. Per the NY Post article cited above:

    The Jesuit rankled some critics, both inside and outside the Vatican, with progressive attitudes and advisements, including naming several women to major posts in the Vatican and urging the church to be understanding of both gay and divorced Catholics who desire to received the Eucharist — though he stopped short of voicing approval for gay marriage.

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    Pope Francis was a vociferous advocate for the rights of migrants and refugees and implored countries in the West to consider the plight of the least among us. This advocacy included recently speaking out against President Trump’s promise to enforce American immigration policy — calling mass deportations a “disgrace.”

 According to another New York Post article, this is what happens next:

    The church enters a period known as “sede vacante” — a Latin phrase that translates to “empty seat” or “vacant seat” — when the Throne of Saint Peter is unoccupied.

    Traditionally, this period can last several weeks as Pope Francis’ body lies in state, his funeral is held, and the Vatican prepares for the closed-door meeting to elect his successor.

    During this time, the College of Cardinals will temporarily take over and assume limited powers — led by the camerlengo, or chamberlain.

    Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is the church’s current camerlengo, will be in charge of running the administration and finances of the Holy See — otherwise known as the Catholic Church’s government.

But there must also be a conclave to select the next Pope:

    Under the Vatican’s procedures, a “conclave” — a meeting where cardinals vote on the next pontiff — must start in the 15 to 20 days after Pope Francis’ death.

    The meeting will take place in the Sistine Chapel, the famed hall within the Vatican that’s adorned with Michelangelo’s paintings, where cardinals will take an oath of secrecy before sealing the doors.

    Once the conclave begins, the cardinals won’t be allowed to leave the Vatican until they have chosen a new pope.

    They will sleep in the Casa Santa Marta hotel inside the Vatican grounds and won’t have access to phones, the internet or newspapers.

    Only 138 of the 253 cardinals will be able to serve as electors in the conclave — up from a previous limit of 120 — and no cardinals over the age of 80 can participate in voting.

The article goes on to explain that there will be two daily ballot sessions that will continue until one candidate has 2/3 or more of the vote. "If a majority isn’t reached, the ballot cards are put in a stove and burned with an additive that produces black smoke, which signals to the outside world that a pope still hasn’t been chosen," the article explains. "Once a majority vote is reached, the secret ballots are burned with an additive that’ll produce white smoke." Also, "[t]he sessions will be suspended for a day if a majority isn’t reached within three days. The process then continues again in the same format until a new pope is picked."

    Finally, the Post explains "Here are the top cardinals who could replace Pope Francis after the conclave." The article begins by stating: "The next pontiff could come from Africa, Italy, or Sri Lanka — possibly even America — but it’s likely that whoever is elected to follow Pope Francis, who died Monday at age 88, will nudge the Catholic Church back to the ideological center, experts said." But as I read through the six likely candidates, four were described as ones that would either continue Francis' policy of liberalizing the Catholic Church or even pushing it further left. Of the two "conservatives" listed, one of them was not even a cardinal and, so, not a realistic option.