Pope Francis died on April 21. He was 88. The Vatican said Francis passed away after a stroke. It was a day after his Easter appearance at St. Peter’s Square. That’s in Vatican City, in Rome, Italy. He’d bestowed well-wishes on thousands of supporters there.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis became pope in 2013. He was the first Latin American pope. TIME named him Person of the Year, and wrote that his election signaled “great change.” Francis became known for his kindness. He called for global peace.
PAYING RESPECTS On April 26, mourners gather in St. Peter’s Square, in Vatican City, for the funeral of Pope Francis.
ALESSANDRA BENEDETTI—CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES
Picking a new pope isn’t easy. The election is done in a process known as a conclave. A group of about 120 cardinals will vote in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. It takes a few weeks to assemble the group members. They travel to Rome from all over the world.
The cardinals will be sworn to secrecy. Each will put his choice for pope on a paper ballot. Multiple rounds of voting may occur. A white puff of smoke in St. Peter’s Square will announce that a new pope has been selected.
Stop and Think!
WHERE does this story take place? Why do U.S. news organizations cover events outside the United States?
More from World
Share a Link
- Click the icon above to copy the url link to your clipboard.
- Paste the link into the location in which you share assignments with students. Examples might include, but are not limited to Canvas, Schoology and Edmodo.
Google Classroom
- Click on the icon above to share the article with a class in your Google Classroom.
- Choose an action. Options might include creating an assignment or asking a question.
