The shepherd of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, Argentine-born Pope Francis, has died aged 88.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
His Holiness died at 7.35am on Easter Monday, April 21.
Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton said Pope Francis served "God with the utmost devotion".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on April 21 said the pontiff was "truly inspirational".
He "demonstrated his commitment to peace, equality and inclusion," Mr Albanese said.
"May God welcome Pope Francis to eternal life," he said.
All Commonwealth flags will be lowered to half-mast on April 22, Mr Albanese said.
Pope Francis' death comes after he made an appearance at Easter celebrations and after he was released from a Rome hospital for a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract" that involved treatment with a mechanical breathing machine.
The 266th pope was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina in 1936 to Italian immigrants.
He was elected the head of the Roman Catholic Church by papal conclave in 2013 after the late Pope Benedict XVI retired.
The pope's leadership has divided progressives and conservatives alike, especially on gay rights, divorce and the ordination of women deacons.
In 2024, the pontiff apologised for a homophobic slur. He was widely quoted as having used a highly derogatory word to describe the LGBT community which he was contrite about, the Vatican said.
While he has maintained traditional Catholic teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman, he has supported same-sex civil unions as legal protections for same-sex couples.
"Pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or several people, that do not transmit a mistaken conception of marriage," Pope Francis wrote in a letter released by the Vatican in 2023.
"With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives," Pope Francis wrote.
"We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them," he added.
Pope Francis has also criticised the rise of right-wing populism, called for greater respect for immigrants and understanding between all the world's religions.
Ring of the Fisherman crushed
It is believed the Vatican forbids an autopsy from occurring on a pope. Almost immediately, the papal apartments are sealed in echoes of an ancient ritual to prevent cardinals from examining a pope's papers.
Rituals also dictate that after a pope has been pronounced dead the camerlengo takes the papal ring, known as the Ring of the Fisherman, and cuts it with a pair of shears in the presence of other cardinals.
The destruction of the ring's surface with deep scratches is a symbol of the end of the rule of the pope.
Australia-based cardinal a contender for papacy
Pope Francis in 2024 promoted Melbourne Bishop Mykola Bychok to the position of cardinal at St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Cardinal Bychok is the youngest member of the College of Cardinals at age 44 and Australia's highest-ranking Catholic. He is the first cardinal from Australia since George Pell.
The Ukrainian-born missionary will congregate with other cardinals within 20 days to elect a new pope.
Cardinal Bychok has lived in Australia for 4 years.
The pope is expected to be buried within six days and had chosen a zinc and wooden coffin.
Peter Angelopoulos
ACM's national digital news editor based in Melbourne is a reporter with more than two decades experience in senior editorial leadership roles across Asia at Reuters and NewsCorp. Reach out at peter.angelopoulos@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
