
Cardinals to meet after death of Pope Francis, plan for funeral
Francis, 88, died unexpectedly on Monday after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest, the Vatican said, ending an often turbulent reign in which he repeatedly clashed with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised.
The pontiff spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year for double pneumonia. But he returned to his Vatican home almost a month ago and had seemed to be recovering, appearing in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday.
Key dates in the life of Pope Francis
His sudden death set in motion ancient rituals, as the 1.4-billion-member Church started the transition from one pope to another, including the breaking of the pope's 'Fisherman's Ring' and lead seal so they cannot be used by anyone else.
'We want to thank the Lord for the gifts he has given to the whole Church with the apostolic ministry of Pope Francis, a pilgrim of hope,' said Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, who led prayers in St. Peter's Square on Monday evening.
All cardinals currently in Rome have been invited to gather in the Vatican at 9 a.m (0700 GMT), where they were expected to make funeral plans.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who clashed repeatedly with the pope about immigration, said he and his wife would fly to Rome for the event. Among other heads of state set to attend were Javier Milei, president of Francis' native Argentina.
The Vatican has said it expects the ceremony to take place sometime between Friday and Sunday. In a break from tradition, Francis confirmed in his final testament released on Monday that he wished to be buried in Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major and not St. Peter's Basilica.
The gathering of cardinals will also review the day-to-day running of the Church in the period before a new pope is elected.
A conclave to choose a new pope normally takes place 15 to 20 days after the death of a pontiff, meaning it should not start before May 6. Some 135 cardinals are eligible to participate in the highly secretive ballot which can stretch over days.
Progressive
Pope Francis inherited a Church in disarray and worked hard to overhaul the Vatican's central administration, root out corruption and, after a slow start, confront the scourge of child abuse within the ranks of the priesthood.
He often clashed with conservatives, nostalgic for a traditional past, who saw Francis as overly liberal and too accommodating to minority groups, such as the LGBTQ community.
Francis appointed nearly 80% of the cardinal electors scattered across the world who will choose the next pope, increasing, but not guaranteeing, the possibility that his successor will continue his progressive policies.
Many of the cardinals are little known outside their own countries and they will have a chance to get to know one another at meetings known as General Congregations that take place in the days before a conclave starts and where a profile of the qualities needed for the next pope will take shape.
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88, Vatican says
The Vatican said late Monday that staff and officials within the Holy See could immediately start to pay their respects before the pope's body at the Santa Marta residence, where Francis set up home in 2013, shunning the grand, apostolic palace his predecessors had lived in.
His body could be moved to St. Peter's Basilica as early as Wednesday morning for the faithful to visit, the Vatican said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid airdrops begin
An airplane drops humanitarian aid over Gaza as seen from northern Gaza Strip July 27, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article Israel said on Sunday it would halt military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and allow new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which the government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off with no deal in sight. Military activity will stop from 10 am to 8 pm (0700-1700 GMT) until further notice in Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian area along the coast, in central Deir al-Balah and in Gaza City, to the north. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday in their first airdrop in months, a Jordanian official source said. Read More: Gaza bound aid ship intercepted as Israel announces partial humanitarian pause The official said the air drops were not a substitute for delivery by land. Palestinian health officials in Gaza City said at least 10 people were injured by falling aid boxes. The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6 am and 11 pm starting from Sunday. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the designated areas. Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through. In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window. — Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) July 27, 2025 "Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said on X. Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in the central Gaza Strip said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people and wounded 50 waiting for aid trucks on Sunday. Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Also Read: UNRWA belittles Gaza aid airdrops proposal The ministry reported six new deaths over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total deaths from malnutrition and hunger to 133 including 87 children. On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, health workers said. "Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead," said her mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, standing next to the baby's father as he held their daughter's body wrapped in a white shroud. The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 metric tons of food to southern Gaza on Sunday. A Palestinian official source said on Sunday afternoon that trucks were still being inspected at Kerem Shalom and had not yet entered Gaza. Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation has increased, driving French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognise a Palestinian state in September. Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025. Photo: Reuters A group of 25 states including Britain, France and Canada last week condemned the "drip feeding of aid" and said Israel's denial of essential humanitarian aid was unacceptable. Israel, which cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March and reopened it with new restrictions in May, says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being diverted by militants. It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza's people. Israel and the US appeared on Friday to abandon ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying the militants did not want a deal. Hope, uncertainty Many Gazans expressed some relief at Sunday's announcement, but said fighting must end permanently. "People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza," said Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner. "We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies whatever path it took, and it was making progress on both fighting and negotiations. "We will continue to fight, we will continue to act until we achieve all of our war goals - until complete victory," he said. Read: Six killed, scores injured in Indian temple stampede Hamas denounced the Israeli measures to allow more aid into Gaza, saying Israel was continuing its military offensive. "What is happening isn't a humanitarian truce," said Hamas official Ali Baraka in a statement on Sunday. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the aid decision was made without his involvement. He called it a capitulation to Hamas' deceitful campaign and repeated his call to choke off all aid to Gaza, conquer the territory and encourage Palestinians to leave. A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a question about Ben-Gvir's comments. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials, reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced nearly the entire population.


Express Tribune
11 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Israel announces military pause in three Gaza areas
Listen to article The Israeli military announced on Sunday a pause in military activity in three designated areas of Gaza, shortly after it said it was taking several steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave. The pause will take place daily in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City, from 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) to 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) until further notice, the military said. Designated secure routes will also be in place permanently from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m., it added. Gaza ceasefire US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas could be finalized 'any day now,' citing steady progress in ongoing negotiations led by Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Al Jazeera reports. 'They've made a lot of progress, and they're close,' Rubio told Fox News, adding that Witkoff has been working 'day and night for weeks.' Rubio said the proposed deal would include the release of at least half the hostages, including the deceased, with the remaining captives expected to be freed at the end of a 60-day period. 'All Americans are out now. We care about all the hostages,' he said, referring to those still held in Gaza. 'There's a very simple solution to what's happening in Gaza. Release all the hostages, lay down your arms, and the war ends for Hamas,' he added.


Business Recorder
12 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Israeli military announces military pause in three Gaza areas
CAIRO: The Israeli military announced on Sunday a pause in military activity in three designated areas of Gaza, shortly after it said it was taking several steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave. The pause will take place daily in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City, from 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) to 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) until further notice, the military said. Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 28 people Designated secure routes will also be in place permanently from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m., it added.