Papa Francesco died today

Papa Francesco died this morning, Easter Monday, 21st April, 2025.

He was a different kind of pope. From his first days as the Bishop of Rome, back in March 2013, he did things differently. One of his official visits was to a men’s prison in Rome, where he met the prisoners and blessed them. Nobody could believe it. The head of the Catholic Church, entering a prison, a high security one at that, and blessing the convicted felons within. This was a new approach.

Next he stopped the decades old practise of retreating to the luxurious palace of Castelgandolfo, in the hills south of Rome, during the summer months. His reason was that he didn’t require or need the opulent luxury of such a grand property. Similarly in Rome, he occupied a simple suite of rooms, not the usual papal apartments. This gentle, deeply spiritual man lived and walked, quite literally, in the footsteps of Christ. For non-believers he was a breath of fresh air and a beacon of hope in this dark and often difficult world.

Last year Papa Francesco visited Venice. His first stop was the Women’s Prison on the Giudecca. An old and crumbling prison that houses about sixty female ‘detenute’. He chatted to the women, prayed with them and listened to them. A moving and generous act. He also inaugurated an art exhibition that took place at the prison from April to November, 2024. The event, part of Venice’s Biennale, was open to the public. The prisoners acted as guides. I was fortunate to visit the prison twice and to experience the exhibition and the wonderful women guides for myself. It was a truly humbling and emotional experience.

Today the Vatican will start the challenging and difficult process to elect a new pope. This is a huge undertaking. Papa Francesco has left some very big shoes to be filled. As the ‘conclave’ in Rome starts the eyes of the world will watch and wonder. Who will succeed Pope Francesco and will that person build on the personal and generous legacy of his predecessor. We will see.

Notes:

I’ve actually written about the Women’s Prison in Venice and the profound impact that it had on me. The Women’s Prison, Venice
I should mention that Venice’s Biennale, 2024 was entitled ‘Stranieri Ovunque’ this means ‘Strangers (or outsiders) Everywhere’. It was in this context that the Women’s Prison became a location for an art exhibit during last year’s biennale.
Below are a couple of photos that I took of some of the women prisoners when they attended a screening of the prison video at Venice’s Film Festival in September, 2024. The film was appropriately named: ‘Con i miei occhi’ – with my own eyes! It was a short film showing the day of a prisoner’s release. A very moving experience. The prison detail starts at paragraph 4. Con i miei occhi