(Update: As of May 8th, the new pope of the Catholic Church has been elected. His name is Robert Prevost, known as Pope Leo XIV and the first American-Born man to hold the title.)
Sweeping headlines last week was the news that revered Pope Francis y passed away at the age of . But this news had led to many questions, one of the biggest ones being who will be his successor? This article aims to explain everything surrounding the Pope’s death, including the funeral, his overall influence on the Catholic Church, and what comes next for the position.
The Funeral
The Pope’s funeral occurred on April 26th, 2025 in St. Peter’s Square and was attended by many people from across the world including devoted followers, presidents, prime ministers, kings and queens. For the world’s 1.406 billion Catholics, His burial held extreme importance within the traditions of being buried as he was the first Pope in over 120 years to request to be buried outside of St. Peter’s Basilica. As heard from the reading of the Pope’s will, he wished for his burial to be simple and, in his own writing, “without any particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus.”
The Influence of Pope Francis
Pope Francis was seen as a very progressive Pope and had many views that the traditionalists of the Catholic Church found extremely infuriating. For one, a major point in his time as Pope was his choice regarding same-sex marriage. In December 2023, Pope Francis announced that he was shifting the Vatican’s policies, and formally allowed for priests to bless the marriage of same-sex couples. Alongside this, he also championed migrants who were fleeing the violence of Central America, stating “We cannot remain indifferent in the face of such human dramas,” alongside the many times which he spoke out against the war and violence currently raging in Gaza. Pope Francis is often seen as one of the more progressive popes, making integral decisions that greatly shifted the policies of the Catholic Church at the cost of angering many of the traditionalists.
What comes next for the Catholic Church?
With Pope Francis’ passing, it’s obvious that a new pope must be selected to take his place, but how does that process actually work? The main part of this selection process involves the cardinals who gather for a sequestered selection process called a conclave. The cardinals are the senior officials of the church selected by the Pope. They come from around the world and in this conclave to select a new successor from among their ranks. As of right now, the Catholic Church is under the supervision of a cardinal from the United States, Kevin Farrell who holds the position of Chamberlain (an official who manages the household of people of importance) until a new pope is selected.
So far, there are 135 eligible candidates for the position, with Conclave set to take place on May 7th, a not so far off date for members of the Catholic Church and the world to look forward to. Confirmation of the new pope’s selection is done via a tradition in which ballots are burned twice, in the morning and afternoon, and the smoke they produce is soon from a chimney. If no new pope has been selected, then these ballots are burned alongside a chemical which turns the smoke black. However, if a new pope is chosen, then the smoke will be a bright white, signaling the new pope has been chosen.
It’s hard to say which way the Catholic Church will go, but what’s for sure is that Pope Francis will be forever remembered as one of the more progressive popes, and someone who truly and deeply affected the lives of those around him, Catholic or not.