The Death of Pope Francis

Image sourced from thehill.com

In what is likely the most internationally gripping death since Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Francis, formerly Jorge Mario Bergoglio, shocked the world with his passing on Easter Monday.

At around 7:35 am, Pope Francis died of a cerebral stroke that lead to a coma and eventually irreversible heart failure. This was after being hospitalized for several weeks due to pneumonia and other health issues.

For the last 12 years, Pope Francis has been renowned for greater focuses on foreign diplomacy. For example, traveling to Cuba (third pope to do so) and aiding in de-escalating tensions with the U.S. as well as critique of growing right-wing populism and the criminalization of homosexuality.

Following his death, the process of the Papal Conclave has begun in order to elect a new Pope. Starting no sooner than 16 days post-death and no later than 21. While most of the Conclave is secretive, what is known is that the College of Cardinals gathers in Rome and cannot leave until a successor is chosen.

Gunner Farrell is a member of the Poudre Press and focuses on writing critiques and analysis on popular media such as film and video games. He does a bi-weekly series where he covers obscure films that are typically bad.