Churchgoers and religious figures in Bedford have paid tributes to Pope Francis following his death on Easter Monday. The head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State died at the age of 88 following a stroke and heart failure. The Argentine pontiff, whose funeral will take place on Saturday in front of St Peter's Basilica, had appeared at Easter Sunday mass in St Peter's Square the day before. The Reverend Alexander Ibe, parish priest at Holy Cross Catholic Church and St. Philip & St. James Church,...

Pope Francis’s decline in health was painfully apparent for some time, and it was a strange coincidence that his final struggles came soon after Conclave, a drama about the process of choosing a new Holy Father, gripped moviegoers and made its mark on awards season. With the pontiff’s death at the age of 88 this week, Conclave became the immediate reference point for anyone seeking to understand the centuries-old process of electing a new pope. The traditions may be familiar, regardless of your faith: the gathering of cardinals from around...

I was sad to hear that Pope Francis died. It marked the end of a papacy characterized by more open dialogue, incremental progress, and some concentric focusing of religious and medical ethics. There are much better forums to learn and debate the shortcomings of his leadership and the Catholic Church in general. I’m going to focus on his pneumonia, and then his teachings with primary care relevance. I was able to see Pope Francis from afar as he held court here in Philly back in 2015 during his historic visit...

Dust off the history books and there are papal conclaves with international intrigue, royal rigging and even riots, a checkered past that belies the air of sanctity and solemnity surrounding modern papal elections. The word “conclave” comes from the Latin for “with key.” It is a church tradition that began in 1268 with a papal election that lasted almost three years, ending only when the townspeople of Viterbo locked up the cardinals, tore the roof off their palace, fed them nothing but bread and water and threatened them until a...

In this episode, we begin with the somber news of Pope Francis's passing at age 88, as the Vatican releases the official cause of death, marking the end of an era for the Roman Catholic Church. Shifting to a different legacy, we discuss a memorial resolution honoring Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, and the notable omission of any reference to abortion. In New York City, a woman's legal battle unfolds after discovering a paternity test error led to her decision to have an abortion, igniting conversations about...

Pope Francis ’ cause of death has been determined. According to the Vatican, Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m. local time on Monday, April 21, due to a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse. The pontiff was also affected by a "previous episode of acute respiratory failure in bilateral multimicrobial pneumonia, multiple bronchiectasis, arterial hypertension and type II diabetes." Over the years, Francis had battled a number of health issues before his death and died Monday, one month after he was discharged from the hospital....