At 9.45am on Easter Monday, April 21st, the Vatican announced Pope Francis had died aged 88.
In a statement, Dublin-born cardinal Kevin Farrell announced to the world that the Argentinian Pope – the Catholic Church’s first pontiff from the Americas – had died earlier that morning.
Pope Francis “taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised,” Cardinal Farrell said in a statement.
During his papacy, Francis clashed with traditionalists as he pushed for a more inclusive Catholic Church. He tirelessly defended migrants, condemned policies of mass deportations and called on the international community to welcome, protect and integrate refugees in society.
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He was seen as the most conciliatory pontiff towards the LGBTQ community and urged laws criminalising homosexuality to end. However, he remained firm in his belief that women should not be ordained as priests.
What legacy will Francis leave behind?
How will the conclave, which brings the Catholic Church’s most senior figures together from May 5th, select his successor?
And will the next pope build on Francis’s more progressive agenda or return to a more traditional style?
Irish Times contributor and former religious affairs correspondent Patsy McGarry discusses the contenders for the job and how the Vatican conclave’s decision-making process will work.
Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
