Catholic Church: Welt mourns the loss of Pope Francis as the “man of peace”

The world mourns the loss of Pope Francis. The head of more than 1.4 billion Catholics died of a stroke on Easter Monday in his residence in the Vatican at the age of 88. The native of Argentine had donated the blessing Urbi et Orbi for the last time for the last time and the most important festival of Christianity and showed the believers in the open papamobile. Francis, who was in the hospital for 38 days in the spring due to a life -threatening pneumonia, already seemed very weak.

With a pontificate of twelve years, one month and a week, Francis is one of the popes that were formative for the Catholic Church. From all over the world and across the borders of religions, condolence letters were received. At the age of 88, the Jesuit was the second oldest Pope in history. The stroke in the early morning led to a coma and heart failure, as the Vatican announced in the evening.

Last appeal in Easter message for peace and migrants

Thousands mourned around him on St. Peter’s Square. In his Easter message, Jorge Mario Bergoglio – according to the bourgeois name – had again promoted peace on Sunday and a better way of dealing with migrants. He had to read the message from another clergyman because he was too weak himself.

The sympathy worldwide is huge. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wrote that the world loses “a shining sign of hope, a credible lawyer of humanity and a convincing Christian” and praised the Pope as “man of peace”. In St. Peter’s Basilica, the bells ringed for the deceased – as well as in many other churches worldwide, also in Germany. There, the flags to the federal ministries and the Chancellery will be placed on half mast on Tuesday. Mourning is also ordered in the United States.

Open coffin in St. Peter’s Basilica

The body is now expected to be laid out in an open coffin in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday so that it can be said goodbye. State guests from all over the world are expected to burial. The exact date for this is not yet clear. In contrast to the other popes of recent times, Francis will not find his last rest in St. Peter’s Basilica at Petersdom, but in the basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, a few kilometers away near the main station in Rome. It is the only wish that he held in the will.

Conclave chooses new Pope

The formal process after the Pope’s death is determined. Francis’s body should be put in the evening in the chapel of his last place of residence in the Vatican, the guest house in Santa Marta. Previously, cardinal treasurer Kevin Farrell officially found death in a rite at 8:00 p.m. In the coming days it will continue as follows:

The period until the election of the new Pope is referred to as the sedis vacancy. During this time, no important decisions may be made in the Vatican. The Cardinal College determines when and how the body must be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica. There he is laid out so that believers can say goodbye to him. The mourning time, the Novendiale, takes nine days. The burial is usually four to six days after death. At least 20 days after death, the cardinals from all over the world, which have not yet exceeded the age of 80, should appear to be a conclave. 135 church men are currently entitled to vote. The conclave in the Sistine chapel can be over after a few hours, but also weeks, months or even years: there is no time limit. The new Pope needs a two -thirds majority to choose from. White smoke means: there is a new Pope.

Argentina imposes seventh day mourning

“Francis will be remembered for his tireless commitment to the weakest of society, for justice and reconciliation,” said future Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU). EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Pope had “inspired his modesty and sincerely love for the less happy millions. Supervisory letters also came from many other countries. In his homeland of Argentina, seven days of state is now. After his election to the Pope, he never returned there.

Francis has been in office since March 2013, as the first non -European for more than 1,200 years. He had been in health for a long time: in the summer of 2021 he had to be operated on at the intestine. In addition, he had a healing, which is why he mostly sat in a wheelchair on public dates. In the spring of 2023 he was treated in the hospital for severe pneumonia. A few weeks later, he was operated on the open stomach under general anesthesia.

Nevertheless, Franziskus regularly spoke up to church questions and also on world politics until the end. In autumn 2024 he ended one of his big projects: the world synod, a kind of global inventory of the Catholic Church, in which women were also involved for the first time. However, this did not result in concrete reforms. He was able to implement other projects such as a new constitution for the Vatican.

During his term, numerous scandals also fell for sexual abuse in various dioceses around the world. In response, the Pope used commissions to deal with and prevent. Francis was over a very popular Pope and a large reminder all year. He tried to focus on weak and outcasts through acts and speeches. He also campaigned for refugees.

Son of Italian immigrants

The son of Italian immigrants was born on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires and initially trained as a cheman technician. Then he entered an order of Jesuit. In 1969 he was ordained a priest, in 1992 to the bishop. In the mid -1980s, he lived in Germany for a few months to write on a doctoral thesis, which he did not finish. In 2001 John Paul II made him a cardinal.

At the 2005 concrete, the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires lost to the German Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI.). After his election eight years later, he jokingly presented himself as a Pope from the “end of the world”. With the choice of his name, the Jesuit stood in the tradition of Franz of Assisi. Francis occurred more modestly than many predecessors and often refrained from splendid.

Unlike the rather reserved and conservative Benedict, Francis caused enthusiasm among the believers on many trips abroad. For some trade fairs, more than a million people came. In autumn he was in the Pacific room again for twelve days. He focused modesty and humility into the focus of his preaching and action. He criticized indifference and also a tendency to want to accumulate even more money and influence at the expense of weaker.

Francis often appeared like a great reformer, but in the opinion of many, but remained behind the expectations. The celibacy, for example, can be abolished at some point, he said. Ultimately, however, he did not change anything. Francis underlined the role of women in the church in countless speeches – but he refused to ordinate the priest. Under Francis, the Vatican has also slowed down reforms of the German bishops.

Criticism of conservative cardinals

Some conservative church superiors criticized Francis’ pontificate. Especially because of the health problems, it has also been speculated on resignation for years, based on the model of his German predecessor. The Argentinian didn’t want to know anything about such speculation.

It will now be exciting in which direction the next Pope will steer the Catholic Church. It is quite possible that Francis’ theological and social ideas will be pursued: of the more than 130 cardinals voting in the complain, he chose significantly more than half personally.

Deputy Christ on earth

According to Catholic theory of faith, the Pope is the successor to the apostle Peter and deputy of Jesus Christ on earth. The official title is: “Bishop of Rome, governor of Jesus Christ, successor of the Apostle Prince, head of the entire church, patriarch of the West, Primas of Italy, archbishop and metropolitan of the church province of Rome, confidently of the state of the Vatican City, servant of the servant of God”.