On 21 April, at the age of 88, Pope Francis died in the Vatican following a stroke. The day before his death, he received the US Vice-President J. D. Vance, a recent convert to Catholicism. The man many saw as a “liberal” pope leaves behind a mixed record. Francis was something of an anomaly when it came to advances in the position of women within the Vatican, his unprecedented statements of openness towards LGBTQ people, and his defence of migrants. But during his twelve-year reign, Jorge Mario Bergoglio – Francis’s original name – also provoked controversy with comments on abortion and the role of women in society, as well as his tepid commitment to addressing the issue of sexual violence within the Church.
The cardinal electors will have to meet between now and 11 May to elect the next pope, in a process that could take between a few days and several weeks. It remains to be seen whether the elected candidate will be more “conservative” than his predecessor.
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