Pope Francis newest: Cardinals collect to debate funeral plans after Vatican confirms reason behind dying

Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton paused their election campaigns this morning in the wake of Pope Francis’s death.

Mr Albanese held a press conference to confirm he is cancelling a number of events and said “the first Pope from the southern hemisphere was close to the people of Australia”.

He announced that Commonwealth flags would fly at half-mast for the rest of the day.

It was after Mr Dutton said the time was not for “big politicking” and confirming the suspension of his own campaign.

Timor-Leste, a tiny southeast Asian nation also known as East Timor where some 97 per cent of the population is Catholic, has begun seven days of national mourning to mark the death of Pope Francis.

People gathered on Tuesday for prayers and flags were flying at half-mast across the tropical island nation.

Francis last year became the first pope to visit the country in more than 30 years during his Asia tour, following in the footsteps of John Paul II, whose own visit gave Timor-Leste’s movement for independence from Indonesia a historic boost and rare prominence on the global stage.

“It is the duty of the state, on behalf of the Timorese people, to demonstrate a deep sense of gratitude and recognition, paying a deserved tribute to this great leader of the Catholic Church,” a statement from the country’s Council of Ministers said in announcing the mourning period on Tuesday.

More than 97 per cent of Timor-Leste is Catholic, making it one of the largest majorities in the world outside the Vatican, and, along with the Philippines, it is one of only two predominantly Christian countries in Asia.

More than 600,000 people – or nearly half its 1.3 million population – turned out to see Francis last year during his 12-day visit to Asia and Oceania.

Pope Francis emerged as one of the most influential moral voices on the climate crisis in the 21st century.

His 12 years of papacy marked a turning point in how the Catholic Church – and by extension, billions around the world – engage with issues of environmental justice, sustainability, and the moral dimensions of climate change.

He passed on the simple message of the social consequences of human influence on the planet as world leaders deliberated the technical and economic aspects of the crisis.

He said humankind was turning the glorious creation of God into a “polluted wasteland full of debris, desolation and filth”, and said the cause of the climate crisis was the people’s “selfish and boundless thirst for power”.

Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, subtitled “On Care for Our Common Home,” is widely regarded as his most significant contribution to global climate discourse.

In it, he reframed the environmental crisis as not just a scientific or political issue, but a deeply moral and spiritual challenge. He calls on humanity to hear “both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,” linking ecological degradation to global inequality.

He declared a global climate emergency in 2019 and held a conference on “the economics of the common good” in his final months.

Laurence Tubiana, chief of the European Climate Foundation who is also one of the architects of the 2015 Paris agreement, called the pope an “important voice” in a social media post.“By clearly setting out the causes of the crisis we are experiencing, [he] reminded us who the fight against the climate crisis is aimed at: humanity as a whole.”

Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley described Pope Francis as a “beacon of global moral and strategic leadership,” crediting him with offering guidance and inspiration during the “dark and desolate days” of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“His voice comforted and inspired many. His hands led him to places where others dared not go, and his heart knew no boundaries. His humour and his laughter were not only infectious but calming. Let us, each and every day, see, hear, and feel people – to fight the globalisation of indifference.”

Iconic buildings around the world remembered Pope Francis following his death on Monday.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris went dark in remembrance, and the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square became a gathering place for mourners.

The Empire State Building in New York was illuminated in memory of Pope Francis on Monday night.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia flew its flags at half-mast, as did several state buildings around the world, including the White House in the US and the presidential office in Taiwan.

And in his hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis’ portrait was projected on the Obelisk.

The death of Pope Francis on Monday sets in motion a centuries-old ritual involving sacred oaths, performed by the cardinals who will elect his successor.

The process of electing a new Pope is shrouded in secrecy, with cardinals forbidden from communicating with the outside world what happens in the conclave, which takes place within the frescoed walls of the Sistine Chapel.

The pontiff’s age, along with his health concerns in recent years – including his recent complex lung infection – led to questions being asked well before his death about who would succeed him.

Here we break down what we know about the favourites – and those with an outside chance.

Pope Francis wrote his spiritual testament in 2022 which was unsealed following his death.

In the document dated 29 June 2022 the pope expressed his wish to be buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

In the name of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial.

Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest – awaiting the day of the Resurrection – in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care.

I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica, as shown in the attached plan.

The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.

The cost of preparing the burial will be covered by a sum provided by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I have given the necessary instructions regarding this to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Basilica.

May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples.

On Monday, bells tolled in church towers across Rome after senior Vatican officials announced Pope Francis’ death.

Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said: “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father’s house.

“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church.

“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalised.

“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of God, One and Triune.’’

Pope Francis’ died following a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, the Vatican has said.

A statement released by the Holy See said his death was confirmed using an echocardiogram.

In his final testament, the pope expressed his wish to be buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.

The Vatican said the Pope had also requested a simple burial — “in the ground, without particular decoration” — with a plain inscription bearing only the name “Franciscus”.

The Vatican added the pontiff had arranged for an unnamed benefactor to cover the costs of his burial.

Cardinals are set to meet on Tuesday to plan Pope Francis’ funeral, which leaders from around the world will attend ahead of a conclave next month to elect a new head of the Roman Catholic Church.

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.

All cardinals currently in Rome have been invited to gather in the Vatican at 9 am local time, where they were expected to make funeral plans.

The gathering of cardinals will also review the day-to-day running of the Church in the period before a new pope is elected.

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.

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.

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 6 May. Some 135 cardinals are eligible to participate in the highly secretive ballot which can stretch over days.