The Legacy of Pope Francis & Who Could Be The Next Pope
Plus: Defense Sec. Hegseth on shaky ground amid another Signal group chat scandal
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🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
Pope Francis Dies At 88; How The Conclave Works To Elect The Next Pope
Pope Francis, the first Latin American and Jesuit pope, died at the age of 88 early Monday morning, one day after delivering his final Easter message that called for global peace. Francis suffered a severe health crisis earlier this year and was hospitalized for five weeks with double pneumonia. The Vatican released a report, which lists his causes of death as a cerebral stroke, followed by a coma and heart failure.
Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Italian migrants in Buenos Aires in 1936, was also the first pope to call himself Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, known for his humility and love of the poor.
The Argentinian pontiff quickly gained a reputation as a modernizer, speaking out boldly on humanitarian crises, such as migration, war, and climate change.
Francis changed the face of the modern papacy by doing away with pomp and privilege, but his attempts to make the church more inclusive made him an enemy to traditionalists. He sought to reform the church by tackling elitist mentalities among the clergy, demanding a compassionate approach to divorced and gay Catholics and insisting that the church welcome everyone.
At the same time, he was criticized by both sides. Conservatives believe he was too political and pushed a liberal agenda. Progressives felt he didn’t do enough to address the church’s systemic sexual abuse issues and criticized him for refusing to ordain women.
Funeral arrangements haven’t been announced, though the event could take place as soon as Wednesday. Many Catholics and world leaders will gather in Rome to pay tribute, but Francis had requested a simple ceremony.
HOW IS THE NEXT POPE CHOSEN?
As soon as May 5, a conclave will be summoned to choose a new pope for the Roman Catholic Church, to represent the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. That means a secretive council of up to 120 cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel to vote, which usually lasts two to three weeks. The electors are forbidden from accessing the outside world during the process.
They will vote up to four times a day, taking a break on the fifth day for prayer (if necessary). Voting continues until there is a two-thirds majority. As of April 21, there were a total of 252 cardinals; but only 138 of them are under age 80, which makes them eligible to vote. Francis appointed 109 (about two thirds) of those electors.
There are two stoves at the entrance of the chapel. One emits black smoke after each vote, which means the electors have not picked a new pope. The other emits white smoke, meaning a new pope has been chosen.
🎥 We recommend watching the 2024 Oscar-winning film, Conclave, to learn more.
WHO COULD IT BE?
The question is whether the cardinals, most of them chosen by Francis, want to continue his embrace of liberal social values, or if they believe his progressive agenda has gone too far and a period of retrenchment is needed. Here is a short list of leading contenders (though there are many more names being floated):
Luis Tagle (age 67, Philippines): Tagle would be the first Asian pope and has been likened to Francis because of his focus on social justice, his relative compassion toward divorced couples and the LGBTQ+ community, and his affable personality. However, he may face pushback after he was accused of bullying while running the global Catholic charity, Caritas Internationalis.
Pietro Parolin (age 70, Italy): As the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Parolin has guided internal affairs and foreign policy for the church since 2013. He is known as a centrist and global diplomatic expert who helped forge relations between the Vatican and China.
Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (age 65, Democratic Republic of Congo): Francis made him cardinal in 2019 and has urged the Vatican to spread its footprints to communities in Africa, where around 20% of the world’s Catholics live. Africa is the fastest growing continent for the faith. But, Ambongo is much more conservative than Francis, opposing his ruling to allow blessings for gay individuals.
Rarely have people accurately guessed the next pope. Some recent ones were not on anyone’s short list! So, stay tuned for the (literal) smoke signals.
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🚨 ONE THING WE’RE FOLLOWING
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Could Be On Chopping Block After Another Signal Group Chat Scandal
President Trump is publicly backing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the latest reports that the Pentagon boss shared sensitive information about U.S. airstrikes in Yemen on a private Signal chat with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
The administration claims no classified information was disclosed in the chat, but bipartisan calls for Hegseth's removal—including from at least one Republican—have intensified.
Trump dismissed the criticism as fake news and blamed it on disgruntled former staff, saying “He’s doing a great job. Ask the Houthis how he’s doing.” But reports suggest the White House also may be quietly searching for Hegseth's replacement.
WHAT HAPPENED?
According to several individuals familiar with the chat, Hegseth used his personal phone to send details about U.S. airstrikes on Yemen—including flight schedules and attack plans—to a group of his personal and professional inner circle, including his wife, brother, and personal lawyer. His team insists there was no classified information discussed in the group chat, though they didn’t specifically deny he shared the attack plans.
Hegseth had already faced criticism earlier this year, when similar information about military operations in Yemen was shared the same day in a separate Signal group chat that included The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg and other senior national security officials.
WHO LEAKED?
On Monday, Hegseth blamed “disgruntled former employees” for leaking sensitive information to the media. Multiple top Hegseth advisers were fired last week as part of an ongoing investigation into leaks from the agency—some of whom were originally part of the Signal group chat Hegseth created.
Former top DOD official, John Ullyot, published an op-ed piece in Politico Sunday describing chaos at the Defense Department, and saying the president needs to let Hegseth go.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌At least three dead after tornadoes and flooding in Oklahoma this weekend (YAHOO)
📌 J.D. Vance to meet with Modi in India amid looming U.S. tariffs (AP)
📌 White House hosting Easter Egg Roll today with corporate sponsors including Amazon, Meta and YouTube (BUSINESS INSIDER)
📌 Supreme Court to discuss whether parents can opt out of reading LGBTQ books in classrooms (CNN)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Mourners across the world react to Pope Francis’s death (AXIOS)
📌 An IDF inquiry says “professional failures” led to killings of 15 Gaza aid workers last month (BBC)
📌 Russian airstrikes reported in Ukraine despite Putin calling for a three day “Easter Truce” (ABC)
📌 China warns against countries striking trade deals with other countries at its expense (REUTERS)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Lyrid meteor shower kicks off this season. Your guide on where to watch. (CNN)
📌 Can you believe your eyes? Scientists discover new color never before seen by humans (CTV NEWS)
📌 Bluesky rolls out blue check feature — and you don’t have to pay for it (TECH CRUNCH)
📌 Chipotle to expand to Mexico in 2026 amidst Trump tariffs (FOX)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Pedro Pascal on that twist in last night’s The Last of Us (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY)
📌 Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners trumps Minecraft movie in weekend box office (PEOPLE)
📌 John Cena breaks world record in winning the most World Wrestling Entertainment championships (BBC)
📌 A posthumously published book shares notes from Joan Didion’s therapy sessions (YAHOO)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
John Korir, 28, winning the Boston Marathon
In case you missed it…the Boston Marathon took place this morning. It got us thinking: have you ever had an early setback, then rose back up again?
The winner of the 2025 event, John Korir, certainly did: the Kenyan runner fell down early into the marathon, but still managed to win the race. And, he completed it with the second-fastest time in the marathon’s history: 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 44 seconds.
Other standouts from today’s Boston Marathon include Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, who set a new record in the women’s division, and Marcel Hug of Switzerland who won his 8th marathon in the wheelchair division.
One can only wonder about their running playlists.