With clouds descending over the last glimmer of the setting sun, the Paris monument extinguished its sparkling lights for a moment of memory.
Bells of mourning tolled across predominantly Catholic France when the pope’s death was announced, including at the recently restored Notre Dame Cathedral.
Grieving Catholic believers and tourists paying respects streamed through the medieval landmark all day and into the night, while it held special Easter Monday services.
Notre Dame rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas recalled how Francis was “the pope of the poor.”
“He is the one who invited us to live the Gospel in its radical form,” the rector said. “When he spoke of the peripheries, he was speaking of those who are excluded, whoever they may be.”
From the AP’s archives: Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality in a 2023 interview with The Associated Press.
“Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!” Trump said on social media.
As Catholic leaders sealed the pope’s formal apartment, it wasn’t immediately clear if they also closed off Francis’ other apartment in the Domus Santa Marta.
Following his 2013 election, Francis chose to live there — rather than the Apostolic Palace — taking up residence in a two-room suite on the second floor. The hotel is for visiting priests and guests, as well as a residence for some priests who work at the Vatican.
It wasn’t clear if those rooms, and others on the second floor of the hotel would be available to other cardinals who will have to be sequestered there for the conclave to elect Francis’ successor.
Sealing up the pope’s formal apartment at the Apostolic Palace is a key part of Catholic tradition declaring a “sede vacante” or vacant see — the period between the death of one pope and the election of another.
Officials draped a red ribbon through the door handles on Monday afternoon, then poured liquid wax on the bow and impressed Francis’ papal seal on the wax to hold the knot.
The camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, and other church leaders tested the big doors to make sure they were locked tight.
AP Photos: A Rosary prayer for Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square
In the past year and a half of war, Francis became increasingly outspoken in his criticism of the Israeli military’s harsh tactics. A month into the war, he urged an investigation into whether Israel’s war amounted to genocide — a charge Israel vehemently denies.
In December, Francis expressed his pain when thinking about Gaza, “of such cruelty, to the machine-gunning of children, to the bombing of schools and hospitals. … How much cruelty!” The next month, he called the ongoing humanitarian crisis “very serious and shameful.”
In Israel, the pope left a more complicated legacy. He was widely appreciated for his outreach to the Jewish people and tough stance against antisemitism. He also was an advocate for freeing the hostages held by Hamas, meeting with their families.
Francis had a frequent evening ritual during the war in Gaza. He would call the Palestinian territory’s lone Catholic church to see how people huddled there were coping.
“He called us last time, it was Saturday, Holy Saturday, two days ago, and he asked us to pray and gave us a blessing and thanked us for all the service for peace,” said the Rev. Gabriel
Romanelli at the church in Gaza City.
The pope in his last public appearance on Sunday again called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Only 1,000 Christians live in overwhelmingly Muslim Gaza. Some prayed for him on Monday.
“The pope was our biggest support, after God, in this war,” said 19-year-old Suheil Abu Dawoud.
President Donald Trump delivered a message to Catholics Monday following the death of Pope Francis: “We love you all.” Trump also predicted he’ll have “a very good” relationship with Francis’ successor.
The first cardinal from the Central African Republic, Dieudonné Nzapalainga, praised Pope Francis’ risky trip to the war-torn country a decade ago, saying “He carried the message of hope and divine mercy.”
Nzapalainga was appointed as a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2016 — making him the youngest member of the College of Cardinals at the time. He will travel to Rome in the coming days for the conclave electing Francis’ successor.
FILE- President Bola Tinubu addresses gathered supporters and the country after receiving his certificate at a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and is home to around 30 million Catholics, roughly 14% of the country’s population.
President Bola Tinubu, who is Muslim, said Pope Francis was “a steadfast advocate for the developing world.”
“He challenged the powerful to act with justice, called nations to welcome the stranger, and reminded us that our common home—this Earth—is a gift we must protect for future generations,” Tinubu said in a post on X.
After his 38-day hospital stay, Francis stopped by the basilica on his way home on March 23, delivering flowers to be placed before the icon of the Virgin Mary.
He returned on April 12 to pray before the Madonna for the last time.
Francis wanted to be buried not in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes under the Vatican — where most popes are buried — but in the St. Mary Major Basilica across town in Rome.
His choice reflects his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary located there, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the people of Rome).
After every foreign trip, Francis would go to the basilica to pray before the Byzantine-style painting that features an image of Mary, draped in a blue robe, holding the infant Jesus who in turn holds a jeweled golden book.
Pope Francis simplified the funeral rituals last year to emphasize his role as a mere bishop and allowing for burial outside the Vatican in keeping with his wishes.
▶ Read more about the pope’s upcoming funeral and burial
In the short text, Pope Francis decreed he would be buried in a simple underground tomb — with only “Franciscus” written on it — at St. Mary Major Basilica, home to Francis’ favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.
Francis thanked those who prayed for him and asked for continued prayers.
“The suffering that became present in the latter part of my life I offered it to the Lord for world peace and brotherhood among peoples,” he concluded.
The will was dated June 29, 2022.
The Vatican says Pope Francis died of a cerebral stroke that put him into a coma and led to irreversible heart failure. The death was confirmed Monday by Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, the head of the Vatican’s health department.
In a statement, he noted that Francis also suffered from episodes of respiratory insufficiency and had had bilateral pneumonia, as well as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Francis died Monday at 7:35 a.m.
The prime duty of the all-male corps, with its colorful uniforms and plumed helmets, is to protect the pope. The members stand guard during papal ceremonies as well as at the various entrances of the Vatican — a tiny, independent walled city-state near Rome’s Tiber River.
The Catholic archbishop of Mexico City, Carlos Aguiar Retes, highlighted Pope Francis’ devotion toward Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico’s more than 100 million Catholics.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X that the pope “leaves behind a great legacy of true love for one’s neighbors.”
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who received the pope four years ago in a historic meeting, said Francis was “greatly respected by all for his distinguished role in serving the causes of peace and tolerance, and for expressing solidarity with the oppressed and persecuted across the globe.”
Faithful gather for a rosary prayer for the late Pope Francis, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Monday April 21, 2025 (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
As the sun sets over St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican has begun a Rosary prayer for Francis, who died after offering his final blessing from the square on Easter Sunday.
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, led the Vatican’s first public commemoration following the pope’s death.
At the start of the Rosary, Gambetti bowed before an icon of the Madonna as a choir sang.
The first reading was delivered by Sister Raffaella Petrini, the president of the Vatican City State and one of the highest ranking women at the Vatican, whose appointment was a sign of his insistance that women be given more prominent, decision-making roles.
The South Sudan Council of Churches says it remembers with gratitude Francis’ visit to the country and his “dedicated efforts to promote healing and unity among our leaders.”
The pope once famously knelt and kissed the feet of rivals President Salva Kiir and deputy Riek Machar, which the council called “a profound act of humility.”
Tensions continue, however, recently raising fears of a return to civil war.
To mourn Pope Francis, the Home Ministry said the Indian flag would be flown at half mast on government buildings nationwide for the next two days as well as the day of pontiff’s funeral. There will also be no official entertainment activities.
India has roughly 30 million Christians, about 2.3% of the country’s population.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says “the pope has done a lot of good not only for his flock, but also for the entire world.”
He noted in televised remarks that Pope Francis passed away immediately after Easter, suggesting, “This is a special sign that the person has lived their life not in vain and has done a lot of good.”
All professional matches in Argentina are postponed for a day due to the pope’s death, the country’s soccer body AFA said.
The games moved to Tuesday will be preceded by a minute of silence to mourn Francis, who was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires before being elected pope.
Games in Italy have also been postponed.
The U.S. House Speaker Emerita from California said it was a high honor to attend Pope Francis’ installation in 2013 and to be in the House chamber during his historic address to the Congress in 2015.
“In San Francisco, we take special pride in Pope Francis, as he shares the namesake of our City and honors the call of our anthem, the Song of Saint Francis, to be an ‘instrument of peace,’” Pelosi said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Francis leaves behind “a legacy of faith, service and compassion for all — especially those left on the margins of life or trapped by the horrors of conflict.”
Guterres said the United Nations was greatly inspired by his message during a visit to U.N. headquarters in 2015, supporting the organization’s ideal of “a united human family.”
President Donald Trump says he signed an executive order lowering U.S. flags at half-staff in recognition of the passing of Pope Francis.
“He was a good man,” Trump said. “He loved the world and it’s an honor to do that.”
Marathon runners and spectators in Boston shared their reactions Monday to the death of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)
One of Pope Francis’ final encounters before his death was with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who visited the Vatican over the weekend.
The meeting took place on Easter Sunday. Vance, a Catholic convert, entered the room and reached down for the pope’s hand. “Hello,” the vice president said. “So good to see you.”
Vance’s visit was not without political sensitivities, and he met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Saturday for what the Vatican described as “an exchange of opinions.” The Catholic Church, under Francis’ leadership, has championed the rights of migrants, while Vance and President Donald Trump have advocated for crackdowns.
Vance’s office said the vice president and the cardinal “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.”
▶ Read more about Pope Francis and Vance’s meeting
Argentines gathered in Buenos Aires for a Mass following Pope Francis’s death at the age o88 on Monday. (AP video by Victor Caivano)
Francis’ address to Congress came at a pivotal moment in bitterly divided Washington in 2015.
He called on American lawmakers to create a “culture of care” in welcoming immigrants, protecting the environment and sharing the nation’s wealth with those less fortunate.
Afterward, the pope spoke from a Capitol balcony, greeting thousands with “buenos dias.” He had been invited by the U.S. House then-embattled Republican speaker, John Boehner, himself a Catholic, who teared up at times, and announced his own resignation the next day.
Pope
▶ See more photos of the life of Pope Francis
In Francis’ hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentines gathered for Mass. Some cried. “I think he was a rebel. He may have been contradictory, but that was nice, too,” said worshipper Catalina Favaro.
Bishop Jorge García Cuerva told those gathered that “the pope of everyone has died. The pope of all humanity who insisted one and a thousand times that there must be room for everyone.”
The pope’s beloved soccer team — Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, who nickname is “The Saints” — wrote “Goodbye, Holy Father” on its website. The team won the national championship in 2013, the year Francis was elected pope.
The death of a pope initiates a centuries’ old ritual to elect a new pontiff
The historic Sigismund Bell in Krakow, Poland, which is reserved only for the most national important events, rang out to mark the death of Francis.
But across mostly Catholic Poland, the death of Francis was met with nothing like the outpouring of grief when the Polish-born Pope John Paul II died 20 years ago. People then flooded the streets and filled churches in grief at the loss of a spiritual leader and a national hero – a man credited with helping bring about the fall of communism.
“I am better for having known him,” Biden, a Catholic who regularly attends Mass, wrote on X, where he described him as “the People’s Pope.”
The former president’s political agenda overlapped with Francis’ vision for the Catholic Church, including a focus on environmental protection. They met at the Vatican in 2021 at a time when some conservatives thought Biden shouldn’t be allowed to receive Communion because of his support for abortion.
Biden planned to visit Francis one more time before leaving office, but the trip was canceled because of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. He instead awarded the pope with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a phone call.
Pope Francis appealed for peace in Gaza and Ukraine as well as other conflict hotspots, in his Easter speech. The address was delivered by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Vatican master of liturgical ceremonies. (AP production by Silvia Stellacci)
Gianni Infantino, president of soccer’s world governing body FIFA, noted the pope’s love for soccer and said that “all the prayers of the whole football world are with him.”
Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called Francis an “immense personality” and said he “wrote his name in golden letters in modern history.”
Though Christians have been increasingly targeted for proselytizing in Muslim-majority Algeria, the Catholic Church enjoys official recognition. Tebboune met Vatican officials when they visited on behalf of Francis in 2022, touring sites including the monastery where a group of Trappist monks were killed during the country’s civil war.
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle said Francis was “the rare leader who made us want to be better people.
“In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound — embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners — he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another,” the Obamas said in a statement.
Any baptized Catholic male is eligible, though only cardinals have been selected since 1378. The winner must receive at least two-thirds of the vote from those cardinals under age 80 and thus eligible to participate.
Here’s a look at a few of the possible candidates:
Cardinal Peter Erdo
Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo is interviewed by The Associated Press, in Budapest, on Thursday, April 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos, file)
Erdo, 72, the archbishop of Budapest and primate of Hungary, was twice elected head of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences, in 2005 and 2011, suggesting he enjoys the esteem of European cardinals who make up the biggest voting bloc of electors.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx
Cardinal Reinhard Marx gives a press statement in Munich, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)
Marx, 71, the archbishop of Munich and Freising, was chosen by Francis as a key adviser in 2013. Marx later was named to head the council overseeing Vatican finances during reforms and belt-tightening.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet
Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet attends a Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, on March 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Ouellet, 80, of Canada, led the Vatican’s influential bishops office for over a decade, overseeing the key clearinghouse for potential candidates to head dioceses around the world.
▶ Read more about who could succeed Pope Francis
The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual involving sacred oaths by the cardinals electing a successor, the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they’re counted, and then burning them to produce either the white or black smoke to signal if there’s a new leader for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.
Here’s a look at the process:
Who’s in charge?
After the pope has died, the camerlengo, or chamberlain, must certify the death and seal the papal apartment. He runs administrative and financial duties of the Holy See until a new pope takes over.
The largely ceremonial job of camerlengo is currently held by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Irish-born American head of the Vatican’s laity office, who also announced the death on Monday morning.
What’s the timing?
The death of a pope begins a precise sequence of events that include the confirmation of death in the pontiff’s home, the transfer of the coffin to St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing, a funeral Mass and burial. Interment must take place between the fourth and sixth day after his death.
After the funeral, there are nine days of official mourning, known as the “novendiali.”
During this period, the cardinals arrive in Rome. To give everyone time to assemble, the conclave must begin 15-20 days after the “sede vacante” is declared, although it can start sooner if the cardinals agree.
Who can elect a pope?
Only cardinals under age 80 are eligible to vote. Current regulations notionally limit the number of electors to 120, but popes have often exceeded that ceiling. According to the most recently updated Vatican statistics, there were 135 cardinals under age 80 and eligible to vote. Cardinals over age 80 can be elected pope.
Those over 80 can’t vote but can participate in pre-conclave meetings, known as general congregations, in which church problems are discussed. It was in these meetings in 2013 that then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio spoke about the need for the church to go to the “existential peripheries” to find those who suffer — an off-the-cuff speech that helped his election.
▶ Read more about how the next pope will be chosen
“Where Francis had supreme power, he refused to make the necessary changes,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the U.S.-based group BishopAccountability.
David Clohessy, former national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, noted the pope’s “prompt and impressive action” on other matters but said the pope’s “genial personality and warm demeanor distracted many from the unhealthy and still essentially unaddressed structural and cultural flaws in the church that cause kids to keep being hurt.”
In a message of condolences following Francis’ death Monday, Mattarella focused on what Francis decided to do on Easter Sunday, when he appeared on the same loggia where he first was introduced to the world after his 2013 election, and delivered the Easter Urbi et Orbi blessing (Latin for “to the city and the world”).
After delivering the blessing, Francis delighted the crowd of some 35,000 people with a long loops of greeting from his popemobile.
Pope Francis tours St. Peter’s Square in his popemobile after bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
“One thought stands out over everything — what he decided to do yesterday — on Easter, with his blessing to the world and his tour of the square among the faithful, with his final reminder of the principle of humanity as the criterion of conduct for each person,” Mattarella said. “Today it appears as a greeting to the church, to women and men around the world.”
Pope Francis has died. He was history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change. He was 88.
