Updates Courtesy THE ASSOCIATED PRESSUpdated 7:18 AM EDT, April 21, 2025

(Editorial Note: The Jamestown Comet will post updates and news regarding the Pope’s passing on our Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/thejamestowncomet)

Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, has died, as announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo. He was 88.

Live view from the Vatican after Pope Francis dies at age 88. He was the first pontiff from Latin America and brought a new tone to the papacy with his informality and humility.

Here’s what to know

• Pope Francis has died. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,″ Cardinal Kevin Farrell said. Read the full announcement.
• Francis became pope in 2013. The Argentinean-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought a breath of fresh air into a 2,000-year-old institution. He took over as the Catholic Church’s influence waned during the troubled papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation led to Francis’ election.
• The next pope is still to be decided. Eligible cardinals vote for a papal successor in the Sistine Chapel ina centuries-old ritual. It comprises sacred oaths, Latin chants and white or black smoke emanating from the chimney from burned ballots.

Churches in the Philippines ring bells to mourn Francis

By JIM GOMEZShare

Churches in the Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, rang their bells Monday to mourn Francis. He visited in 2015 to console survivors of Typhoon Haiyan and celebrate Mass before millions in Manila.

“Pope Francis showed us what it means to suffer with others and find hope in the midst of pain,” Manila Archbishop Jose Advincula said, citing the pope’s visit to a central region where Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in November 2013.

“The Holy Father has reminded us that the church must be close to the poor, merciful to all and a welcoming home for the forgotten,” said Advincula.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Francis “taught us that to be a good Christian is to extend kindness and care to one another. His humility brought many back to the fold of the church.”

Flags across UK ordered to fly at half-staff

By DANICA KIRKAShare

British authorities ordered that government buildings fly flags at half-staff until Tuesday evening in light of the pope’s death.

Mother of a slain Israeli-American hostage praises Francis

By JOSEPH KRAUSSShare

The mother of a slain American-Israeli hostage praised Pope Francis’ advocacy for Hamas-held captives in the Gaza Strip.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, who was among families of the hostages who met with the pope in November 2023, said he “felt our sorrow and suffering, and we so appreciated his advocacy on this topic, and on trying to find peace and reconciliation.”

Francis had repeatedly called for the release of the hostages abducted in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and for an end to the war it sparked.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages were killed by their captors last year as Israeli troops closed in on the tunnel where they were being held.