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UNIDENTIFIED CHOIR: (Singing in non-English language).
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Thousands of mourners gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican today to pray and say goodbye to Pope Francis. He led the Catholic Church for 12 years and died on Monday at the age of 88. His papacy challenged old traditions. Francis was the first Latin American pope, born in 1936 in Argentina. He called for action on the environment, on helping the poor and on welcoming migrants. He asked the church to consider giving a bigger role to women, and he was seen as friendlier to the LGBTQ faithful than any previous pontiff. NPR's Ruth Sherlock joins us now from Rome. Hi, Ruth.
RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: Hi. OK, so tell us what you've been hearing from people today as they're mourning.
SHERLOCK: Well, there have been emotional scenes from St. Peter's Square. You know, at the prayers we just heard people in the crowd were in tears. This was a popular pope. And as people mourn, Ailsa, they're also thinking about his legacy. I spoke - well, we spoke with Amican Johansen from Norway, who came to see Pope Francis at yesterday's Easter mass and talks about his legacy.
AMICAN JOHANSEN: His legacy will be about many things, not the least compassion and humility and his courage to criticize the rulers, and openness and kindness.
SHERLOCK: You know, in speaking about criticizing leaders there, she's referring to Pope Francis' outspoken stance on the war in Gaza, which at times brought pushback from Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. And then Doug Rand from Montana, well, he remembers how the pope was known for being indefatigable. He would work these long hours, even from his sick bed, Rand says, also to advocate for the less fortunate.
DOUG RAND: This is a man who gave everything, and he did it right up to the last day. And he was always working for the little guy and the poor and the disadvantaged and the abused. He did the right thing.
SHERLOCK: These are some of the memories that will come to make up Pope Francis' legacy.
CHANG: Yeah, such an outpouring from everywhere and, you know, Ruth, there's been reaction from all over the world. What have you noted in particular?
SHERLOCK: Yeah, there's been church bells tolling from Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris to the churches in the Philippines. JD Vance, the U.S. vice president, who was just with the pope on Easter Sunday, said his heart goes out to the millions of Christians who loved Francis. Muslim leaders have also been among the first to offer condolences. And the Dalai Lama honored Francis, saying he lived a simple but meaningful life.
CHANG: We know that the pope had been sick for a while, but, of course, he appeared at Easter mass yesterday. There have been quite a few recent public appearances. Does that all make news of his death feel quite sudden, you think?
SHERLOCK: You know, it does. He had been battling double pneumonia and was admitted to hospital in February, and in that time his illness became critical. There were prayers for him in St. Peter's Square, and people didn't know if he was going to pull through. But then he came out of hospital five weeks later and was convalescing at his home in the Vatican and had started to make these public appearances, like at the Easter mass yesterday.
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POPE FRANCIS: (Non-English language spoken).
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SHERLOCK: But then, this morning, the Vatican announced that at 7:35 a.m. local time, Pope Francis today had passed away. And the Vatican says he died of a stroke and cardiac arrest.
CHANG: So what happens next at the Vatican in the coming days?
SHERLOCK: There's the ceremonial confirmation of the pope's death in which the Vatican camerlengo, or chamberlain, he calls out the pope - the late pope's baptismal name three times. And then when there's no response, he declares the sede vacante, the Holy See is vacant. The pope's room is sealed off using red wax seals, and then the chamberlain breaks the deceased pope's signet ring. People are going to be able to view the pope's body in the open coffin at St. Peter's, and his funeral will take place in four to six days after his death. The pope has been calling for a simpler funeral. You know, he - past popes were put in three nested coffins, for example, but Pope Francis has asked to be buried in a single coffin made of wood and lined in zinc.
CHANG: And what do we know about the preparations ahead of the conclave to choose the next pope?
SHERLOCK: Cardinals are coming from across the world, and they'll first gather for these meetings known as the general congregations. These are before the official conclave, which happens 15 to 20 days after the pope's passing. But they can be - these meetings can be incredibly important as this is where, you know, a lot of the nitty-gritty, a lot of the discussion and lobbying actually takes place about the priorities for the next papacy.
CHANG: That is NPR's Ruth Sherlock in Rome. Thank you so much, Ruth.
SHERLOCK: Thank you, Ailsa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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