Francis Dead
By 
Pope Francis has passed.
Pope Francis has died, the Vatican announced on Monday, ending a groundbreaking pontificate that sought, however haltingly, to reshape the Roman Catholic Church into a more inclusive institution.
Standing somberly behind a microphone at the Vatican, Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced the pope’s death. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” he said. An American of Irish origin, Cardinal Farrell becomes the Vatican’s de facto administrator after the death of a pope.
Mourners, some in tears, quickly went to St. Peter’s Square in Rome, as tributes poured in from global leaders offering condolences to the world’s Catholics and praising the pontiff’s commitment to the poor and marginalized.
The death of Francis sets off deliberations and machinations to choose a successor.
Not surprising, exactly, although the succession of false alarms over the past six weeks had removed the sense of urgency. I’m not Catholic and lack any expertise with which to evaluate Francis’ tenure or contemplate his potential successors.