Death of Pope Francis and election of Pope Leo XIV
- Date
- 21 April 2025
- Category
- Culture, arts & philosophy
- Region
- Vatican / Global
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
The papal transition of 2025 saw the death of Pope Francis and the election of the first US-born pope. Francis, the first Latin American and first Jesuit pontiff, had led the Roman Catholic Church since 2013 with an emphasis on humility, migrants, and the poor; he died on 21 April 2025.
In the conclave that followed, the College of Cardinals elected Cardinal Robert Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV, becoming the first pope born in the United States. The transition drew global attention to the direction of a church of some 1.4 billion members, weighing Francis's reformist legacy against calls for continuity and tradition, and made the papacy once again a focus of worldwide interest.
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