The Vatican announces the death of the pope.
The pope who was loved by millions, but hated by many amongst the cardinals, has died.
He tried to make the Catholic church more inclusive, and tried to deal with the child abuse and corruption found in the upper ranks of the church, and some of the organisations and financial institutions associated with the running of the church, although he mostly failed in his efforts, due to the machinations in the upper echelons and the actions of his own cardinals.
He will be missed by many Catholics and world leaders, and there will be a degree of nervousness in existence about the nature of the next pontiff, following the conclave of cardinals which will meet soon to choose his successor.
As a result of the recent film, ‘Conclave’, there may be more interest in the process and result than there would have been otherwise. It is an opportunity for the Catholic church to stand-up for peace in the world, and to denounce all the conflict currently in existence throughout the world. Most of us will be interested to see whether that becomes an opportunity realised, or largely missed.