Become a member.

Looking for better conservative conversation? Join Ricochet for just $5/month. Think of it as your neighborhood bar: familiar faces, lively debate, and room for a different point of view. Plus: listen to most of our podcasts ad-free.

Pope Francis Dead at 88

Ricochet Editors' Desk
@RicochetEditorsDesk
Join to bookmark6likesJoin to like11comments

The day after the Church proclaimed Christ is alive, they have announced that the Pope is dead.

Pope Francis, aged 88, and the first pontiff born outside of Europe in a millennia, passed away this morning. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires in 1936, he ascended to the papacy in 2013 and became the first Jesuit and the first pope born in the Western Hemisphere.

He has been in poor health. In February he was confined to a hospital with bronchitis but returned to his duties earlier this month and even met with the US Vice President yesterday.

From the Vatican News Service:

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told journalists later on Monday that the late Pope's body could be transferred to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning, so that the faithful may pray before his mortal remains. "The translation of the Holy Father's mortal remains to the Vatican Basilica, for the veneration of all the faithful, may take place on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, 2025, according to the arrangements that shall be determined and communicated tomorrow, following the first Congregation of the Cardinals," Mr. Bruni said.

Promoted by an Editor

Discussion (11)

  • Eugene Kriegsmann@EugeneKriegsmann

    I don't feel much sadness at the passing of the most left-wing of the popes in my lifetime. I do hope that the next is a bit more in line with traditional pontiffs, adhering to the center rather than interpreting with the Bible in one hand and Das Capital in the other.

  • Brian Watt@BrianWatt

    From Lifesite News:

    Styled as the “pope of confusion” by commentators, his reign was marked by a rapid diversion from Catholic teaching on numerous issues, with his pronouncements and writings leading to widespread confusion amongst Catholics on topics such as LGBT issues, divorce and “re-marriage,” nature of the priesthood, role of the laity in ecclesial governance, adherence to Tradition, and the permissibility of the traditional Latin Mass.

    Indeed, the issues arising from his pontificate do not end here, since they also include the gutting of the Pontifical Academy for Life and re-filling it with supporters of abortion; the championing of “climate change” and globalist policies; the promotion of taking abortion-tainted COVID-19 injections as a moral duty; pushing an irreligious concept of “human fraternity” which was widely accused of rejecting God and subsequently welcomed by Muslims and Freemasons; being involved in the reported cover-up of a number of high-profile abuse cases, such as Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick; remaking the Vatican curia with individuals noted for their rejection of Catholic teaching on numerous points.

    ...

    In addition to this, the Pontiff repeatedly took aim at devotees of Tradition, describing them as “rigid” and highlighting this as a problem related to “clericalism.” In one such characteristic discussion, Francis argued that devotion to the traditional Mass was a “nostalgic disease” resulting in “indietrism.”

    In a quasi-autobiographical book published in January 2025, Francis also accused Catholics who attend the traditional liturgy of having a “mental imbalance, emotional deviation, behavioral difficulties, a personal problem that may be exploited.”

    Read the whole article.

  • Arahant@Arahant
    Ricochet Editors' Desk (View Post):
    In February he was confined to a hospital with bronchitis but returned to his duties earlier this month and even met with the US Vice President yesterday.

    Now, that's proactive. Most VPs go to the funeral after the dignitary dies.

+6 more comments
Join the conversation

You're seeing five of eleven comments. Sign in, or join for just $5 per month, to read them all and add your own.