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President Donald Trump and his White House predecessor Joe Biden led the way in paying respects from the United States to Pope Francis, who died Monday at 88.Trump, who has had a sometimes thorny relationship with the Vatican, ordered US flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House, and at federal property across the world.”He was a good man, he worked hard and loved the world,” Trump said at a White House event marking Easter. He had earlier posted on social media: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”Biden, who was only the second Roman Catholic to serve as US president, hailed the late pope as “unlike any who came before him.””Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time and I am better for having known him,” Biden wrote on X alongside a picture of him and the Pope. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic, said he was “saddened” and added “we unite in prayer with Catholics worldwide for the repose of the pontiff’s soul and for this period of transition for the Catholic Church.”There were also statements from top congressional leaders, with senior Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer citing the late pope’s “compassion and love for the less fortunate.””His papacy will be remembered as a beacon of light and hope against the darkness. My prayers are with the billions of people today who are mourning his loss.”The top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, said the pope had “humbly” served the poor and recalled a 2015 address by Pope Francis to a joint session of Congress as a “triumphant, bipartisan” event.

Pope Francis died on Monday aged 88, prompting mourning across the Christian world for the energetic reformer who inspired devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists during a 12-year papacy. Mourners gathered, many in tears, in St Peter’s Square, where just a day earlier the the frail-looking pontiff had greeted worshippers on Easter Sunday, having recently left hospital following a 38-day battle with double pneumonia.World leaders paid tribute to Francis’ moral and spiritual leadership and countries began preparations to mark his death, which will now set off a succession scramble among Cardinals to see who next will lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.”Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a Vatican statement.”This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.”His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church,” said the statement, released shortly before 10:00 am.- St Peter’s Square prayers -His death sets in motion centuries-old traditions that will culminate in the gathering of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor.In the next four to six days the Vatican’s cardinals will decide on the pope’s funeral date, which must take place between four and six days after his death.In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by the Camerlengo, a senior cardinal, who is currently Dublin-born Cardinal Farrell.Francis died in his apartment at the Saint Martha residence where he had lived since his election in March, 2013, the Vatican said.The cause of his death would “probably” be shared after Francis’s body is laid in its coffin in the Saint Martha chapel at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Monday, the Vatican said.Just before that, a public Rosary prayer was to be held in St Peter’s Square, the Vatican said, adding that Francis’s body would likely be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday to lie in state.- ‘Spiritual father’ -At the Vatican on Monday, a hush seemed to descend on the normally boisterous Saint Peter’s Square as the death knell rang out.”He lived this Easter and then he went,” Cesarina Cireddu from Sardinia said with tears in her eyes. “He’s actually returned to the Lord — and godspeed.”Tour groups continued to walk through the sprawling plaza as quiet groups of people leaned against a barricade to pray.Venezuelan Riccardo Vielma, 31, who is studying to be a priest, said that “we have lost our spiritual father”.”He was everyone’s pope,” said Maria Chiorazzo, 59, who paid a visit to the square with her husband. “He was the only man of peace, in contrast to our rulers at this time.” Francis, born in Argentina as Jorge Bergoglio, was the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic world and the first from the Americas.He took over after Benedict XVI became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down — and cut a sharply different figure from the German theologian.A football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires who was often happiest among his flock, Francis sought to forge a more open and compassionate Church.- Served with ‘devotion’ -World leaders praised him for having strongly defended social justice and the rights of migrants.King Charles, who met Francis during a state visit earlier this month, said the pope had “served with such devotion”.Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said “a great man has left us” in a statement. Argentina’s President Javier Milei pointed to his compatriot’s “goodness and wisdom” despite their “differences”.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Francis had “inspired millions… with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate”.US President Donald Trump wrote “Rest in Peace” on his Truth Social platform, and his predecessor Joe Biden, a Catholic, hailed “one of the most consequential leaders of our time” on X.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was grieving and Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the pope’s promotion of dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic churches.Italy’s Serie A football league called off all the day’s matches and the country’s Olympic committee called for all sporting events due to take place there on Monday to be postponed.Champions League holders Real Madrid held a minute’s silence during training on Monday.Spain declared three days of mourning with Argentina announcing a full week.The bells at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris rang out 88 times and the city said the lights would be turned off at the Eiffel Tower on Monday evening.- Reforming pope -Francis’s pontificate was also marked by pushing through governance reforms and tackling the scourge of clerical sex abuse of children.But critics accused him of creating doctrinal confusion and failing to defend traditional Catholic beliefs on key issues such as abortion and divorce. Francis’s desire to chart a different path was evident right to the end, with his decision to be buried not in St Peter’s Basilica but in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.Francis also rejected the tradition of popes having three coffins, choosing instead to be buried in just one.- Health issues -Francis, who had part of his lung removed as a young man, had maintained a busy schedule before his latest hospital admission.Even after he was released from hospital and ordered to rest for two months, Francis, known for being stubborn, did not wait long before making public appearances, meeting King Charles and visiting a prison.But he was barely able to speak, and delegated the traditional Easter Sunday “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) benediction to an associate, although he later toured Saint Peter’s Square in his open-top popemobile, greeting worshippers.Despite a growing number of health problems, he never took a day off and made frequent trips abroad, including a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour only last September.Huge crowds gathered wherever he went, a testament to his popularity and human touch.- ‘Who am I to judge?’ -When Francis took over, the Catholic Church was mired in infighting and beset by a global scandal over clerical sex abuse of children and decades of cover-ups.He promised an end to impunity and changed Vatican law to help tackle abuse, though victims said he could have gone further.He also initiated a major shake-up of the Vatican’s powerful governing body that included improving financial responsibility and allowing lay Catholics to lead Vatican offices.Throughout his papacy, Francis championed the poor and vulnerable and emphasised love over doctrine.”If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?” he said at the start of his papacy.However, his detractors accused him of failing to uphold established Church doctrine.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday dismissed new allegations that he shared information about military strikes in Yemen via a Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer.The Pentagon chief reportedly included details on the strikes in the private chat — the second time he has been accused of sharing sensitive military information on the commercial messaging app with unauthorized people.”This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations,” Hegseth said at the White House.”Not going to work with me,” he said, adding: “Anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news doesn’t matter.”Hegseth is facing increasing criticism, with three former staffers penning a statement decrying their dismissals and his own former Pentagon press secretary all but calling on Sunday for him to be fired.But the White House on Monday backed him, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that “the president absolutely has confidence in Secretary Hegseth. I spoke to him about it this morning, and he stands behind him.”Last month, The Atlantic magazine revealed that its editor-in-chief was inadvertently included in a Signal chat in which officials including Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz discussed the Yemen strikes, which took place on March 15.The revelation sparked an uproar, with President Donald Trump’s administration forced on the defensive over the leak. A Pentagon inspector general’s probe into Hegseth’s use of Signal is ongoing.The New York Times then reported Sunday that Hegseth had shared information in a second Signal group chat on the same March 15 strikes.The chat included his wife Jennifer, who is a journalist and former Fox News producer, as well as his brother Phil and lawyer Tim Parlatore, both of whom serve in roles at the Pentagon, the newspaper said, citing anonymous sources.Responding to the report, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell accused the Times of being “Trump-hating media.””There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story,” he said, without providing further specifics.

The April 21 death of Pope Francis triggered a period of mourning in the Catholic Church, but also kick-started the race for his successor.Whether diplomats, theologians, mediators or Vatican insiders, here are 15 cardinals who are among the potential favourites to become the next pope, known as the “papabili”, divided by region.This list however is by no means exhaustive and Francis’s successor could well be someone else.EUROPEPietro Parolin (Italy), 70, Vatican Secretary of StateThe Vatican’s chief diplomat, Parolin has been the number two at the Vatican during nearly all of Francis’s papacy. He is known to many world leaders, having travelled the globe, but also to many inside the Roman Curia, the government of the Holy See. A member of Francis’s Council of Cardinals, an advisory body, Parolin played a key role in the historic 2018 deal between the Holy See and China on the appointment of bishops.Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Italy), 60, Latin Patriarch of JerusalemPizzaballa is the top Catholic in the Middle East with an archdiocese encompassing Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus.He was made a cardinal in September 2023, shortly before the war broke out between Israel and Hamas.The Franciscan has appealed for peace from both sides, and at Christmas in 2024 led mass both in Gaza and in Jerusalem.Matteo Maria Zuppi (Italy), 69, Archbishop of BolognaZuppi, a member of the Roman community of Sant’Egidio, has for more than three decades acted as a discreet diplomat for the Vatican including serving as Pope Francis’s special peace envoy for Ukraine.Known for riding his bicycle around Bologna, Zuppi is a popular figure for his decades of work on behalf of the needy. He also advocates for welcoming migrants and gay Catholics into the Church.He has been president of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) since 2022. Claudio Gugerotti (Italy), 69 A diplomat and polyglot from the Italian city of Verona, Gugerotti is an expert on the Slavic world. He served as nuncio — or ambassador of the Holy See — in several countries including Britain, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Ukraine.Consulted by Pope Francis on the war between Ukraine and Russia, Gugerotti was named Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches in 2022.Jean-Marc Aveline (France), Archbishop of Marseille, 66Born in Algeria, Aveline has spent most of his life in Marseille and is an emblematic figure of the southern French port city. Considered a close friend of Pope Francis, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Marseille in 2013 and elevated to cardinal in 2022.The smiling, affable Aveline has advocated for dialogue between religions and cultures, and the defence of migrants — both central tenets of Pope Francis’s papacy. Anders Arborelius (Sweden), 75, Bishop of StockholmAppointed in 2017 as Sweden’s first cardinal, Arborelius is a convert to Catholicism in the overwhelmingly Protestant Scandinavian country, home to one of the world’s most secularised societies.He is the first Swedish Catholic bishop since the Protestant Reformation and a staunch defender of Church doctrine, notably opposed to allowing women to be deacons or blessing same-sex couples.Like Pope Francis, Arborelius advocates welcoming migrants to Europe, including Christians, Catholics and potential converts.Mario Grech (Malta), 68, Bishop emeritus of GozoGrech is the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, a body that gathers information from local churches on crucial issues for the Church — whether the place of women or remarried divorced people — and passes it along to the pope. He has had to perform a delicate balancing act, following Pope Francis’s lead on creating an open, attentive Church while acknowledging the concerns of conservatives.He has acknowledged the “fraternal dialogue” between Catholics of all levels while assuring traditionalists that the Church is “not a democracy, the Church is hierarchical”. Peter Erdo, 72, Metropolitan Archbishop of Esztergom-BudapestAn intellectual and respected expert in canon law, Erdo speaks seven languages, has published more than 25 books, and is recognised for his openness to other religions. But his ties with the government of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban — whose hardline anti-migrant views clash with those of Pope Francis — have been under scrutiny in the past.Known for his enthusiasm for evangelism, the cardinal who grew up under Communism is a conservative on such issues as gay marriage and divorcees who remarry. Jean-Claude Hollerich, 67, Archbishop of LuxembourgA Jesuit like Pope Francis, Hollerich spent over 20 years in Japan, and is a specialist in European-Asian cultural relations as well as German literature.Firm on dogma, the theologian is still open to the need for the Church to adapt to societal changes, much like the Argentine pope he was close to and for whom he served as an adviser on the Council of Cardinals.Hollerich has advocated for the environment and has pushed for laypeople, especially young people, to have more involvement in the Church. ASIALuis Antonio Tagle (Philippines), 67, Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of ManilaTagle, Asia’s frontrunner for the papacy, is a charismatic moderate who has not been afraid to criticise the Church for its shortcomings, including over sexual abuse of minors. Fluent in English, he is an eloquent speaker with self-deprecating humour and, like Francis, is a leading advocate for the poor, migrants and marginalised people. Nicknamed “Chito”, he was made a cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2012 and had already been considered a candidate for pope in the 2013 conclave in which Francis was elected.Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar), 76, Archbishop of YangonPresident of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, Maung Bo was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015, his country’s first and only cardinal.Bo has called for dialogue and reconciliation in conflict-ridden Myanmar, and after the military coup of 2021 appealed to opposition protesters to remain non-violent. He has defended the persecuted mainly Muslim Rohingya, calling them victims of “ethnic cleansing”, and spoken out against human trafficking uprooting the lives of many young Burmese. AFRICA Peter Turkson (Ghana), 76, Archbishop emeritus of Cape Coast One of the Church’s most influential cardinals from Africa, Turkson is often mentioned as a possible first black pope — although he said in a 2010 he didn’t want the job, insisting any such pope would “have a rough time”.He serves as the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Born into a humble family of 10 children, Turkson speaks six languages and has visited the World Economic Forum in Davos multiple times to convince business leaders of the perils of trickle-down economics. Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Democratic Republic of Congo), 65, Archbishop of KinshasaAmbongo is the only cardinal from Africa on Pope Francis’s Council of Cardinals, the advisory committee to the pontiff.As president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, he signed a letter in January 2024 voicing opposition to the Vatican’s declaration allowing priests to carry out non-liturgical blessings of same-sex unions. In a 2023 interview, Ambongo proclaimed that “Africa is the future of the Church, it’s obvious”.AMERICASRobert Francis Prevost (United States), 69, Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo A native of Chicago, Prevost is the prefect of the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, which is charged with advising the pope on appointments of new bishops.He spent years as a missionary in Peru and is the Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo in that South American country.Made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023, he is also the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Timothy Dolan (United States), 75, Archbishop of New YorkA jovial, ruddy-faced extrovert with Irish-American roots, Dolan is a theological conservative, fiercely opposed to abortion.The former archbishop of Milwaukee, he oversaw the fallout from a major sexual abuse scandal in the diocese. In New York, amid shrinking Church membership, Dolan has reached out to embrace the growing Hispanic population, which is predominantly Catholic. 

Pope Francis, who died Monday aged 88, will go down in history as a radical pontiff, a champion of underdogs who forged a more compassionate Catholic Church while stopping short of overhauling centuries-old dogma.Dubbed “the people’s Pope”, the Argentine pontiff loved being among his flock and was popular with the faithful, though he faced bitter opposition from traditionalists within the Church.The first pope from the Americas and the southern hemisphere, he staunchly defended the most disadvantaged, from migrants to communities battered by climate change, which he warned was a crisis caused by humankind.But while he confronted head-on the global scandal of sex abuse by priests, survivors’ groups said concrete measures were slow in coming.From his election in March 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was eager to make his mark as the leader of the Catholic Church. He became the first pope to take the name Francis after Saint Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century mystic who renounced his wealth and devoted his life to the poor.”How I would like a poor church for the poor,” he said three days after his election as the 266th pope.He was a humble figurehead who wore plain robes, eschewed the sumptuous papal palaces and made his own phone calls, some of them to widows, rape victims or prisoners.The football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires was also more accessible than his predecessors, chatting with young people about issues ranging from social media to pornography — and talking openly about his health.Francis always left the door open to retiring like his predecessor Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down.After Benedict died in December 2022, Francis became the first sitting pope in modern history to lead a papal funeral.He suffered increasingly poor health, from colon surgery in 2021 and a hernia in June 2023 to bouts of bronchitis and knee pain that forced him to use a wheelchair.His fourth hospitalisation, of more than a month for bronchitis in both lungs, was his longest, raising speculation he might step down. But he brushed off talk of quitting, saying in February 2023 that papal resignations should not become “a normal thing”.In a 2024 memoir, he wrote that resignation was a “distant possibility” justified only in the event of “a serious physical impediment”.- Kissed prisoners’ feet -Before his first Easter at the Vatican, he washed and kissed the feet of prisoners at a Rome prison.It was the first in a series of powerful symbolic gestures that helped him achieve enthusiastic global admiration that eluded his predecessor.For his first trip abroad, Francis chose the Italian island of Lampedusa, the point of entry for tens of thousands of migrants hoping to reach Europe, and slammed the “globalisation of indifference”.He also condemned plans by US President Donald Trump during his first term to build a border wall against Mexico as un-Christian.After Trump’s re-election, Francis denounced his planned migrant deportations as a “major crisis” that “will end badly”.In 2016, with Europe’s migration crisis at a peak, Francis flew to the Greek island of Lesbos and returned to Rome with three families of asylum-seeking Syrian Muslims.He was also committed to inter-faith reconciliation, kissing the Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in a historic February 2016 encounter, and making a joint call for freedom of belief with leading Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb in 2019.Francis re-energised Vatican diplomacy in other ways, helping facilitate a historic rapprochement between the United States and Cuba, and encouraging the peace process in Colombia.And he sought to improve ties with China through a historic — but criticised — 2018 accord on the naming of bishops.- Climate appeal -Experts credited Francis with having influenced the landmark 2015 Paris climate accords with his “Laudato Si” encyclical, an appeal for action on climate change that was grounded in science.He argued that developed economies were to blame for an impending environmental catastrophe, and in a fresh appeal in 2023 warned that some of the damage was “already irreversible”.An advocate of peace, the pontiff repeatedly denounced arms manufacturers and argued that in the myriad of conflicts seen around the globe, a Third World War was underway.But his interventions were not always well received, and he sparked outrage from Kyiv after praising those in war-torn Ukraine who had the “courage to raise the white flag and negotiate”.In his modest rooms in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta guesthouse, Francis dealt with stress by writing down his problems in letters to Saint Joseph.”From the moment I was elected I had a very particular feeling of profound peace. And that has never left me,” he said in 2017.He also loved classical music and tango, stopping off once at a shop in Rome to buy records.- ‘Who am I to judge?’ -Francis’s admirers credit him with transforming perceptions of an institution beset by scandals when he took over, helping to bring lapsed believers back into the fold.He will be remembered as the pope who, on the subject of gay Catholics, said: “Who am I to judge?”He allowed divorced and remarried believers to receive communion, and approved the baptism of transgender believers as well as blessings for same-sex couples.But he dropped the idea of letting priests marry after an outcry, and despite nominating several women to leading positions inside the Vatican, he disappointed those who wanted women allowed to be ordained.Critics accused him of tampering dangerously with tenets of Catholic teaching, and he faced strong opposition to many of his reforms.In 2017, four conservatives cardinals made an almost unheard of public challenge to his authority, saying his changes had sown doctrinal confusion among believers.But his Church showed no inclination to relax its ban on artificial contraception or opposition to gay marriage — and he insisted that abortion was “murder”.Francis also pushed reforms within the Vatican, from allowing cardinals to be tried by civilian courts to overhauling the Holy See’s banking system.He also sought to address the enormously damaging issue of sex abuse by priests by meeting victims and vowing to hold those responsible accountable.He opened up Vatican archives to civil courts and made it compulsory to report suspicions of abuse or its cover-up to Church authorities.But critics say his legacy will be a Church that remains reluctant to hand paedophile priests over to the police.- ‘Raised on pasta’ -Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born into an Italian emigrant family in Flores, a middle-class district of Buenos Aires, on December 17, 1936.The eldest of five children, he was “born an Argentine but raised on pasta”, wrote biographer Paul Vallely.From 13, he worked afternoons in a hosiery factory while studying to become a chemical technician in the mornings. Later he had a brief stint as a nightclub bouncer.He was said to have liked dancing and girls, even coming close to proposing to one before, at age 17, he found a religious vocation.Francis later recounted a period of turmoil during his Jesuit training, when he became besotted with a woman he met at a family wedding.By then he had survived a near-fatal infection that resulted in the removal of part of a lung. His impaired breathing scuppered his hopes of becoming a missionary in Japan.He was ordained a priest in 1969 and appointed the provincial, or leader, of the Jesuits in Argentina just four years later.His time at the helm of the order, which spanned the country’s years of military dictatorship, was difficult.Critics accused him of betraying two radical priests who were imprisoned and tortured by the regime. No convincing evidence of the claim ever emerged but his leadership of the order was divisive and, in 1990, he was demoted and exiled to Argentina’s second-largest city, Cordoba.Then, in his 50s, Bergoglio is seen by most biographers as having undergone a midlife crisis.He emerged to embark on a new career in the mainstream of the Catholic hierarchy, reinventing himself first as the “Bishop of the Slums” in Buenos Aires and later as the pope who would break the mould.

Pope Francis, an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists, died on Monday aged 88, just a day after greeting delighted worshippers after Easter Mass.The death of the Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, came less than a month after having been released from hospital following a 38-day battle with double pneumonia.Some visitors to St Peters Square — where a frail-looking Francis was cheered by Easter Sunday worshippers during an unscheduled appearance just a day earlier — were left in tears at the news.World leaders paid tribute to his moral and spiritual leadership and countries began preparations to mark his death.”Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in the statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.”This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.”His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church,” said the statement, released shortly before 10:00 am.His death sets in motion centuries-old traditions that will culminate in the gathering of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor.In the next four to six days the Vatican’s cardinals will decide on the pope’s funeral date, at which point his coffin will be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica.In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by the Camerlengo, a senior cardinal, currently Dublin-born Cardinal Farrell.Francis’s body will be laid in its coffin in the chapel at the Saint Martha residence where he lived at 8:00 pm, the Vatican said, while the Rosary prayer will be held “in the middle of the day”.- ‘Spiritual father’ -At the Vatican on Monday, a hush seemed to descend on the normally boisterous Saint Peter’s Square as the death knell rang out.”He lived this Easter and then he went,” Cesarina Cireddu from Sardinia said with tears in her eyes. “He’s actually returned to the Lord — and godspeed.”Tour groups continued to walk through the sprawling plaza as quiet groups of people leaned against a barricade to pray.Venezuelan Riccardo Vielma, 31, who is studying to be a priest, said “we have lost our spiritual father”.Francis, whose real name was Jorge Bergoglio, was the first Jesuit to lead the world’s almost 1.4 billion Catholics and the first from the Americas.He took over after Benedict XVI became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down — and cut a sharply different figure from the German theologian.A football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires who was often happiest among his flock, Francis sought to forge a more open and compassionate Church.- Served ‘with devotion’ -World leaders praised him for having strongly defended social justice and the rights of migrants.Britain’s King Charles, who met Francis during a state visit earlier this month, said the pope had “served with such devotion”.Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said “a great man has left us” in a statement, while Argentina’s President Javier Milei pointed to his compatriot’s “goodness and wisdom” despite their “differences”.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Francis had “inspired millions… with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate”.US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert who briefly met Francis on Sunday while on a trip to Rome with his family, said his “heart goes out” to Christians. The White House wrote “Rest in Peace” on X.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was grieving and Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the pope’s promotion of dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic churches.Italy’s Serie A football league called off all the day’s matches and the country’s Olympic committee called for all sporting events due to take place there on Monday to be postponed.Spain announced three days of mourning while the bells at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris rang out 88 times and the city said the lights would be turned off at the Eiffel Tower on Monday evening.- Reforming pope -Francis’s pontificate was also marked by pushing through governance reforms and tackling the scourge of clerical sex abuse of children.But critics accused him of creating doctrinal confusion and failing to defend traditional Catholic beliefs on key issues such as abortion and divorce. Francis’s desire to chart a different path was evident right to the end, with his decision to be buried not in St Peter’s Basilica but in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.Francis also rejected the tradition of popes having three coffins, instead choosing to be buried in just one.- Health issues -Francis, who had part of his lung removed as a young man, had maintained a busy schedule before his latest hospital admission, even hosting the prime minister of Slovakia shortly beforehand.Even after he was released from hospital and ordered to rest for two months, Francis, known for being stubborn, did not wait long before making public appearances, meeting Britain’s King Charles and visiting a prison.But he was barely able to speak and delegated the traditional Easter Sunday “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) benediction to an associate, although he later toured Saint Peter’s Square in his popemobile, greeting worshippers.Despite a growing number of health problems, he never took a day off and made frequent trips abroad, including a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour only last September.Huge crowds gathered wherever he went, a testament to his popularity and human touch.- ‘Who am I to judge?’ -When Francis took over, the Catholic Church was mired in infighting and beset by a global scandal over clerical sex abuse of children and decades of cover-ups.He promised an end to impunity and changed Vatican law to help tackle abuse, though victims said he could have gone further.More widely, he initiated a major shake-up of the Vatican’s powerful governing body, including improving financial responsibility and allowing lay Catholics to lead Vatican offices.Throughout his papacy, Francis championed the poor and vulnerable and emphasised love over doctrine.”If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?” he said at the start of his papacy.However, his detractors accused him of failing to uphold established Church doctrine.

When Pope Francis took over in 2013, the Catholic Church was embroiled in a global scandal over child sex abuse by priests, and the institution’s attempts to cover it up.The pontiff sanctioned top clergy and made reporting abuse mandatory, but victims said more can and must be done.- Criticised commission -In December 2014, Pope Francis established an international panel of experts to recommend how to protect minors, but the commission was mired in controversy from the start.Two members representing abuse survivors resigned in 2017, including Marie Collins, who was raped by a priest in Ireland when she was 13 years old and who decried as “shameful” the lack of cooperation from Vatican officials.In March 2023, the commission’s last remaining founding member, prominent German Jesuit priest Hans Zollner, resigned expressing concerns over “responsibility, compliance, accountability and transparency”. – Turning point in Chile -Pope Francis’s trip in January 2018 to Chile, where a clerical paedophilia scandal had caused outrage, was a turning point.Francis initially defended a Chilean bishop against allegations he covered up the crimes of an elderly priest, demanding the accusers show proof of his guilt.He later admitted making “grave mistakes” in the case — a first for a pope. He summoned all of Chile’s bishops to the Vatican, after which they all submitted their resignations.- McCarrick affair -In February 2019, in a historic first, Pope Francis defrocked former US cardinal Theodore McCarrick after he was found guilty by a Vatican court of sexually abusing a teenager in the 1970s.McCarrick had been known for having sex with adult seminarians, and the year before, the Vatican’s former ambassador to the United States, Carlo Maria Vigano, accused Pope Francis of ignoring years of allegations against the cardinal.A Vatican report in 2020 acknowledged errors by the Catholic hierarchy and found former pope John Paul II ignored advice against promoting McCarrick, but largely absolved Francis.- Unprecedented summit -In February 2019, the pope convened the heads of 114 bishops conferences from around the world with the head of the eastern Catholic Churches and superiors of religious congregations for a four-day summit on “the protection of minors”.It heard devastating accounts from abuse survivors and searing criticism from within the Church.German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, a close adviser to the pope, dropped the bombshell that bishops’ offices might have destroyed files on clerical abuse suspects.The pope promised an “all-out battle” against abuse, comparing child sex abuse to human sacrifice.- Legal changes -In December 2019, the pope made complaints, testimonies and documents from internal Church trials available to lay courts. Victims were able to access their files and any judgements.The same year, he made it compulsory to report suspicions of sexual assault or harassment to Church authorities — and any attempt at a cover-up.In 2021, the Catholic Church updated its criminal code for the first time in nearly 40 years to include an explicit mention of sexual abuse by priests against minors and disabled people.However, victims continued to complain that clergy were still not obliged to report abuse to civil authorities under Church codes, and anything said in the confessional box remained sacrosanct.- A mixed record -On his foreign trips from Canada to Belgium Pope Francis met with survivors of abuse and regularly issued calls for forgiveness.But while he did the most of any pope to combat the scourge, campaigners say he has never acknowledged what might be the “systemic” causes of abuse within the Church.He was criticised for not meeting the authors of a major report into sexual abuse within the Church in France, and urging caution in interpreting its claim that, about 330,000 minors had been abused over 70 years.Critics also say he should have been more decisive with Marko Rupnik, a Slovenian priest and world-renowned mosaic artist accused of abusing a community of adult religious women in the 1990s.Under pressure, the pope waived the statute of limitations in 2023 to allow potential disciplinary proceedings.

Pope Francis, an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists, died on Monday aged 88.The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli hospital before seeming to recover and leaving the facility on March 23.His death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance on the balcony at Saint Peter’s Basilica.”Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in the statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.”This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.”His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church.”His death sets in motion centuries-old traditions that will culminate in the gathering of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor.In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by the camerlengo, a senior cardinal, currently Dublin-born Kevin Farrell.- ‘Humble pastor’ -Francis, whose real name was Jorge Bergoglio, was the first Jesuit to lead the world’s almost 1.4 billion Catholics and the first from the Americas.He took over after Benedict XVI became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down — and cut a sharply different figure from the German theologian.A football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires who was often happiest among his flock, Francis sought to forge a more open and compassionate church.He strongly defended social justice, the rights of migrants and the environment, while also pushing through governance reforms and tackling the scourge of clerical sex abuse of children.But critics accused him of creating doctrinal confusion and failing to defend traditional Catholic beliefs on key issues such as abortion and divorce. Francis’s desire to chart a different path was evident right to the end, with his decision to be buried not in St Peter’s Basilica but in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.Francis also rejected the tradition of popes having three coffins, instead choosing to buried in just one, made of wood and zinc, to reflect his role as a humble pastor.- Health issues -Francis had left open the possibility of stepping down if he felt unable to do his job, following the example of Benedict, who quit citing his ailing health.But he insisted for years that time had not yet come, and maintained a busy schedule, right up to hosting the prime minister of Slovakia shortly before his hospital admission.Francis, who had part of his lung removed as a young man, was visibly breathless in the days before going to the Gemelli, delegating aides to read his homilies at public audiences.Questions will now be asked whether the pontiff, known for being stubborn and refusing to take rest, should have been admitted to hospital earlier.Even after he was released from hospital and ordered to rest for two months, Francis did not wait long before making public appearances.He had been hospitalised with a respiratory infection in March 2023. That same year he also underwent surgery for a hernia, and in 2021 he had colon surgery.He suffered knee pain that required him to use a wheelchair, and had fallen twice in recent months.Yet he never took a day off and made frequent trips abroad, including a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour only last September.Huge crowds gathered wherever he went, a testament to his popularity and human touch, which saw him finish his Sunday Angelus prayer each week urging followers to pray for him and to have a good lunch.- Who am I to judge? -When Francis took over, the Catholic Church was mired in infighting and beset by a global scandal over clerical sex abuse of children and decades of cover-ups.He promised an end to impunity and changed Vatican law to help tackle abuse, though victims said he could have gone further.More widely, he initiated a major shake-up of the Vatican’s powerful governing body, including improving financial responsibility and allowing lay Catholics to lead Vatican offices.Throughout his papacy, Francis championed the poor and vulnerable and emphasised love over doctrine.”If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?” he said at the start of his papacy.However, his detractors accused him of failing to uphold established Church doctrine, and his final months were marked by increasingly outspoken attacks by senior cardinals.Tensions with conservative Catholics marked the Synod congress that met at the Vatican at the end of 2023, part of a years-long global consultation on the future of the church — that Francis now leaves unfinished.

The Philippine and US militaries on Monday kicked off three weeks of joint exercises that will simulate a “full-scale battle scenario”, as the two allies seek to deter Beijing’s ambitions in the disputed South China Sea.As many as 17,000 personnel are expected to take part in the annual “Balikatan”, or “shoulder to shoulder” drills, which for the first time will include an integrated air and missile defence simulation, to be attended by President Ferdinand Marcos.Sophisticated US weapons including the NMESIS anti-ship missile system will also be deployed, including near a crucial chokepoint in the waters separating the northern Philippines from self-ruled Taiwan.”We will demonstrate not just our will to uphold our mutual defence treaty in existence since 1951 but our matchless capability to do so,” US Marine Corps Lieutenant General James Glynn said at Monday’s opening ceremony in Manila.”Nothing builds bonds more quickly than shared adversity,” he said, without specifying a common threat.Philippines Major General Francisco Lorenzo added that the 40th Balikatan exercises would reinforce the country’s ability to address “contemporary security challenges”.The Philippines has been engaged in months of confrontations with Beijing over disputed areas of the South China Sea.It has steadily deepened defence cooperation with treaty ally the United States since Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on China’s sweeping claims to the crucial waterway.During a recent visit to Manila, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington was “doubling down” on the alliance.”Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country — considering the threats from the Communist Chinese,” he said in late March.In response to the drills, Beijing accused Manila of “collusion with countries outside the region”.The exercises “undermine regional strategic stability”, said foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.”This has already aroused strong aversion and opposition from regional countries,” he said.- Manila seeking military upgrades -Last year’s Balikatan featured tests of the US Typhon mid-range missile system.The Philippine Army subsequently said it was planning to acquire the Typhon, sparking warnings from China of a regional “arms race”.On Monday, Glynn said the Typhon system would again be present, along with the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, a short-range platform specialising in knocking out drones.The Philippines’ Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner said last month that Manila was seeking to upgrade its arsenal, with more missile systems, warships and fighter jets.On April 2, the United States said it had approved the possible sale of $5.58 billion in long-coveted F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, though Manila said the deal was “still in the negotiation phase”.A week later, the Philippines took possession of the first of two corvette-class warships with “advanced weapons and radar systems” acquired in a deal with South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries.- ‘Inevitably’ involved -China considers Taiwan part of its sovereign territory and has vowed to bring it under Beijing’s control one day.Given the Philippines’ proximity to Taiwan and its surrounding waters, Manila’s cooperation would be crucial in the event of any US conflict with China.On April 1, as Chinese ships and warplanes surrounded the self-ruled island in a simulated blockade, Brawner said his country would “inevitably” be involved should the democracy be invaded.While Manila later said Brawner’s comments were primarily referencing efforts to retrieve Filipino workers in Taiwan, its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with Washington gives US forces access to nine bases in the Philippines.Asked about Taiwan on Monday, Lorenzo said Balikatan could potentially “help deter” a conflict over the island.Both the US and Philippine militaries, however, stressed that this year’s war games would not address a potential Chinese invasion.Besides the United States, countries including Australia and Japan are sending smaller contingents to Balikatan.

Billionaire businesswoman, high priestess of social media, Oval Office invitee, effortless siren, mother of four: Kim Kardashian has mastered the 21st century like no one else. For almost two decades, she has been a constant presence in popular culture, an uber-celebrity whose every move commands attention, yet who never seems to be anything other than in complete control.While lesser stars have been consumed by fame, Kardashian remains at the height of her powers, defying criticism that she is really only famous for being famous.Kardashian, 44, is expected to testify at a French trial beginning April 28 over a 2016 robbery that cost her millions of dollars worth of jewelry — and in which she was held at gunpoint.Six people are charged over the heist, which netted items including a diamond ring gifted by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West. – Fame -Born in Los Angeles on October 21, 1980, Kardashian spent her childhood on the periphery of fame.By 1991, after her parents were divorced, her mother Kris married the 1976 Olympic decathlon winner then known as Bruce Jenner, who has since transitioned to life as Caitlyn. A few years later, her father Robert was one of the high-flying lawyers who defended American football legend OJ Simpson in his 1995 murder trial. As a teenage friend of Los Angeles socialites Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, Kardashian garnered the first inklings of her own fame, being photographed with them at popular nightspots and appearing in their reality show “The Simple Life.”But it was in 2007 that she was catapulted into popular consciousness when an explicit four-year-old home movie she had made with her then-boyfriend Ray J was posted online.Cynics noted the tape appeared as Kardashian and her family were readying to promote “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” a fly-on-the-wall reality TV look at the family’s life of wealth, luxury, unbelievable cattiness — and startling mundanity.Planted or not, the footage burned Kardashian onto the public’s collective retina.”Keeping up with the Kardashians,” which followed the personal and professional trials of sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe and their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, was one of television’s longest-running reality shows.For some, it was must-see entertainment offering an insight into celebrity through the prism of a unique family.For others, as The Washington Times once wrote, it was vapid chaff that “illustrates our nation’s moral, spiritual and cultural decay.”Either way, the show was very, very good for business.A series of enterprises including KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance established Kardashian as a serious player in the fashion and lifestyle sector, propelled by the rise of social media, where she regularly posted thirst traps to build her brand.But it was the apparel label Skims that really brought in the big bucks.The firm unapologetically celebrates the female form, boasting “technically constructed shapewear that enhances your curves.”A 2023 investment round valued the company at $4 billion, and Forbes estimates Kardashian’s personal net worth is now $1.7 billion.- Marriage to Kanye… and divorce -Her forays into the fashion and beauty worlds were supercharged by her relationship with West, her third husband.Their marriage in 2014 — the year of that “Break the Internet” photoshoot for Paper magazine involving her shapely bare buttocks and lots of champagne — was a “historic blizzard of celebrity,” according to The New York Times.They flew to France for a pre-wedding rehearsal at the Palace of Versailles, where they arrived in a gold-plated carriage before flying on to Italy to tie the knot.Four children later, the couple’s relationship ran into difficulties, as West’s behavior became increasingly erratic. His bizarre, but truncated 2020 bid for the US presidency degenerated into rambling self-confession.Kardashian appealed for empathy for her husband, who at one time spoke of living with bipolar disorder, but by 2021 was filing for divorce.Kardashian says she has tried to protect the couple’s children from the inevitable hurt of their parents’ split.”You want to be sensitive because they’re just kids, and it’s hard to go through no matter what age,” she told GQ in 2023.”Ultimately what matters is that kids feel loved and heard.”They are certainly seen: Kardashian’s 357 million Instagram followers are given regular updates on the children.Since her split with West, Kardashian had a high-profile romance with comedian Pete Davidson, and was linked to NFL player Odell Beckham Jr.Amid the parenting, the television shows, the endless red carpets and the multi-billion-dollar business, Kardashian has also found time to launch a legal career.After embarking on an apprenticeship with a prison reform group, she successfully petitioned US President Donald Trump to pardon a grandmother serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense — and then visited him at the White House.In 2021 and on her fourth attempt, she passed California’s “baby bar” exam, a seven-hour slog for first-year law students with a pass rate of only around 20 percent.Her late father, she mused, “would be so proud.””He would actually be so shocked to know that this is my path now.”