The BLUF - April 22nd

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This is Atlas, and you’re reading the Bottom Line Up Front, where we cover the top geopolitical stories from around the world every Tuesday!

Today’s topics:

• Pope Francis Dies, Age 88

• Klaus Schwab, Founder And Head Of World Economic Forum, Retires

• Kremlin Gives Praise For U.S. Position Ruling Out NATO Membership For Ukraine

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Pope Francis Dies, Age 88

_{By: Atlas}

At 7:35 a.m. Rome time on 21 April 2025 Cardinal Kevin Farrell, camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced that Pope Francis, the 266th Bishop of Rome, had died aged eighty‑eight.​​ Bells rang in St Peter’s Square and Vatican Media broadcast the bulletin worldwide. Swiss Guards sealed the papal apartments, and the Fisherman’s Ring will be pierced to prevent its reuse. The body was moved to a private chapel inside Casa Santa Marta, the residence Francis favored over the Apostolic Palace. Farrell assumed interim authority and initiated the mourning period prescribed by Universi Dominici Gregis.

Health and Final Hours

Francis lived with chronic respiratory limitations after losing part of his right lung in 1958.​​On 14 February 2025 he was admitted to Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic with acute bronchitis that progressed to bilateral pneumonia; he remained hospitalized for thirty‑eight days before discharge on 23 March.​​ Doctors ordered prolonged convalescence, yet on Easter Sunday, 20 April, he greeted pilgrims from the central loggia of St Peter’s Basilica and imparted the Urbi et Orbi blessing, standing for several minutes. In the early hours of 21 April attendants reported sudden respiratory collapse; Vatican physicians attribute the terminal event to acute respiratory failure compounded by recent immobility.

Life and Ministry

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires on 17 December 1936 to Italian immigrants. He entered the Jesuits in 1958, was ordained in 1969, and led the order in Argentina during the “Dirty War,” sheltering persecuted clergy.​​ Named Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and cardinal in 2001, he cultivated a reputation for personal austerity and pastoral availability. On 13 March 2013 he became the first Latin‑American and first Jesuit pope, choosing the name Francis after the saint of Assisi.​​ During twelve years he visited fifty‑six nations, canonized nearly a thousand saints, convened multiple synods, and issued major encyclicals including Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti.

Governance and Reforms

Internally Francis reorganized the Roman Curia through the 2022 constitution Praedicate Evangelium, merging dicasteries and elevating evangelization above doctrinal enforcement. He strengthened oversight of the Institute for the Works of Religion, created a central investment office, and authorized prosecutors to pursue a £350 million London property deal, leading to the first criminal conviction of a cardinal for embezzlement.​​ He declared the death penalty “inadmissible,” branded mere possession of nuclear weapons immoral, and signed the 2018 provisional accord with China on bishop appointments. He appointed women to senior curial posts, extended voting rights to female religious in synodal assemblies, and opened instituted lay ministries to women. He convened the Council for the Economy, mandated audits, and implemented a whistle‑blower policy intended to deter fraud across Vatican entities.

Challenges and Controversies

Francis’ appeals for migrant protection, critiques of market excess, and permission for priests to bless same‑sex couples provoked conservative resistance; some U.S. commentators labelled him Marxist.​​ He misjudged the Chilean abuse scandal in 2018 by doubting victims, then apologised, summoned Chile’s bishops to Rome and established global procedures for investigating negligent prelates, including Vos Estis Lux Mundi.​​ Traditionalist critics opposed his restrictions on the Latin Mass, while progressive voices regretted his refusal to ordain women or relax celibacy norms. Financial reforms faced internal pushback yet introduced asset disclosure rules and salary caps for senior officials. Opposition from American bishops and cardinals intensified.

Global Reaction

Condolences arrived rapidly. U.S. Vice‑President JD Vance, who met Francis the previous day, mourned “millions of Christians who loved him.”​​ Former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump praised his moral witness from contrasting perspectives.​​ United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres hailed “a man of faith for all faiths,” and King Charles III cited his commitment to shared human concerns.​​ Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese highlighted his defense of the poor and his climate advocacy. Bells tolled in Buenos Aires and Manila as crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square to pray the Rosary.

Succession, Procedure, and Legacy

The body will lie in state in St Peter’s Basilica from 23 to 25 April, followed by a simplified funeral on 26 April and burial at Santa Maria Maggiore.​​ The College of Cardinals—252 members, 122 under eighty—will meet in conclave within fifteen days; ballots continue until one gains a two‑thirds majority.​​ With about eighty percent of electors appointed by Francis, analysts foresee continuity, citing Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Luis Tagle and several African prelates as leading contenders.​​ Observers emphasize his stress on mercy, decentralized governance and ecological stewardship. Unresolved items—including clerical discipline, further curial reform and the long‑term China accord—await the next pontiff. Election results will be signaled by white smoke rising above the Sistine Chapel.

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