A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Pope Francis has died. He was 88 years old. To discuss the latest updates as tributes come pouring in from around the world, NPR international correspondent Ruth Sherlock and religion correspondent Jason DeRose join us now.
Ruth, let's start with you. The Pope had been unwell, but it looked like he was on his way back - coming back, making a complete recovery. His announcement of this death, though, comes very suddenly. What can you tell us about what happened?
RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE: Well, that's right. I mean, he was suffering from chronic lung disease, double pneumonia, and it was - had been in critical condition a few weeks ago. He was hospitalized for about five weeks, the longest hospitalization of his papacy. And at the time, there were these nightly prayers for St. - for Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square, but then he made this recovery. He came out of hospital and had been convalescing, and even starting to make public appearances. But at - but he passed away at 7:35 this morning. The Vatican's Cardinal Kevin Farrell made the announcement. He said, the bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his church.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, what are we hearing from people at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican?
SHERLOCK: Well, as you can imagine, you know, people are gathering, and they're starting to speak about how they want to remember Francis. Here's Regina-Adams Hall from Atlanta, Georgia.
REGINA ADAMS-HALL: I think it's so important that his last words were peace, and about humanity and how we treat one another. And it's so important because he was an old man, and he knew he was a dying old man. And I think his words are so important and that we should heed those words.
SHERLOCK: She's referring there to the fact that he appeared at Easter Mass yesterday and had somebody read out his speech. And in that speech, that last speech, he spoke about people being wounded in conflict - in particular, the conflict between Israel and Gaza, the endless outbursts of violence there. And his words called on the international community to act, to come to the aid of a starving people who - that aspires to a future of peace. And that is so central to the message that he has repeated throughout his papacy, trying to champion the poor and those suffering in conflict.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, Jason, you've covered Pope Francis for years. What are some of the moments of his papacy you think will stick most with you?
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Well, as Ruth said, his concern for the poor or, you know, the least of these in the world. I think a very important issue for Pope Francis was refugees, migrants and immigration. You know, early in his papacy, he took a couple of papal trips - one to Lampedusa, to highlight the plight of refugees in North Africa. And shortly thereafter, he went to Lesbos, an island in the Mediterranean, to highlight refugees from the Middle East. And he talked about refugees having this special place in the heart of God. And he constantly referred to the story - the biblical story of Jesus, Mary and Joseph having to flee Bethlehem shortly after Jesus' birth because King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. He said, you know, the Holy Family were refugees, too, and that that means they are very important to God.
And he, in fact, said that migration should be and immigration should be an important issue. In the most recent U.S. election, when U.S. bishops were very interested in focusing on abortion, Francis said, also pay attention to what the candidates say about migration and refugees. So again - and this was all part of his understanding that these are really the poorest people, the people in the greatest need, and so they are the people that the church should pay the closest attention to.
MARTÍNEZ: What do you think his legacy as pope will be here in the U.S.?
DEROSE: Well, I think the environment will be very important. You know, his first solo encyclical as pope focused on the environment - care for creation, which God created as good. He also focused on the environment, again getting back to that idea of the poor, because environmental degradation weighs very heavily on the poor. Desertification and flooding and famine and poverty all go hand in hand, and that leads to that migrant - that global migrant crisis that he talked about. So it was a really holistic understanding of what his issues were. Some other issues that I think will be key to him - there was a lot of talk about whether women would become deacons while he was pope. That did not end up happening, after all. After a couple of very large meetings, that was - that conversation was tabled.
Another big area of concern for the pope was the treatment of LGBTQ people. He thought it was very important to - just talked about them as beloved children of God. Although I will point out, you know, he made some big changes, or he OK'd some changes. He said that priests could bless people in same-sex relationships, but he didn't change - a core teaching of the church is that same-sex sexual attraction is intrinsically disordered and is, in fact, a sin. So there were some big changes, but not as much as some of the more progressive parts of the church would want.
MARTÍNEZ: Ruth, back to you quickly. What are the plans for his funeral?
SHERLOCK: Well, this will happen in four to five days' time. And Pope Francis has tried to strip away a lot of the pomp from his papacy, both in life and also in death. He's asking for a simpler casket. Popes were traditionally buried in three nested coffins. He's asking for one made of wood and lined in zinc. He's previously said, you know, that the Roman pontiff's funeral is - should be that of a shepherd and a disciple of Christ, and not a powerful man of this world.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR international correspondent Ruth Sherlock and religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Jason, Ruth, thank you.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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