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T u e s d ay, a p r i l 22, 2025
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POPE FRANCIS: Dec. 17, 1936 - April 21, 2025 Wanted church to be a refuge for everyone
Was willing to shake up scandal-ridden church
Easter blessing was his final public farewell
Cause of death was a stroke that led to heart failure
Recent hospitalization lasted 38 days
‘He embraced all people’
BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He was 88. The Vatican said Francis suffered a stroke which led to a coma and his heart to fail, as he recovered from a five-week hospitalization for double pneumonia. His funeral and burial at Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major across town are expected over the weekend. Bells tolled in Catholic churches from his native Argentina to the Philippines and across Rome as news spread around the world. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived. Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday — a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, drawing wild cheers and applause. Francis performed the blessing from the same
ä See POPE, page 4A
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MATT ROURKE
Pope Francis waves to the crowd during a procession in Philadelphia in 2015.
BR Catholic community mourns death of ‘people’s pope’ BY AIDAN MCCAHILL
Staff writer
As much of the world mourns the passing of Pope Francis, who died Monday at age 88, the loss cuts especially deep in Baton Rouge. Reflecting on his 12 years as pontiff, locals remember a legacy marked by joy and service, praising his ability
to carry their faith far beyond the walls of the Vatican and into the hearts of everyday people. “From day one, he showed us how to live how Jesus called us,” said the Rev. Michael Allelo, of St. Aloysius Catholic Church. “He spoke with a pastor’s heart and he ministered with a pastor’s heart. We always saw that.”
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Bueno Aires, Argentina, Francis was the first Jesuit Pope, and the first to come from the Americas. The Most Rev. Michael G. Duca, bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, recalled Pope Francis bucking expectations from the start: opting for modest footwear over the
INSIDE traditional red shoes, living inside a Vatican guest house and choosing Saint Francis ä JD Vance was one of the of Assisi for his papal name- last leaders to meet with Pope sake — a saint celebrated Francis. Page 4A for his vow of poverty. “You don’t choose a name ä Several cardinals are lightly,” Duca said. As the considered front-runners years progressed, Duca to be the next Pope. Page 5A said, Pope Francis lived up ä What happens next? ä See MOURNS, page 6A Page 5A
Legislation filed to create new St. George school district BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
Families in the city of St. George who send their children to popular magnet schools like Baton Rouge Magnet High may get to keep sending them there even if a new St. George school district is
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formed. That’s the intent of legislation filed last week to create a new St. George school system as a companion to the newly formed city of the same name. The East Baton Rouge Parish school system, however, has yet to sign on to the idea.
Parents with children in Baton Rouge magnet schools proved the staunchest opponents during unsuccessful efforts in 2012 and 2013 to create a breakaway school district in the southeast portion of the parish. The failure of those efforts morphed into the ultimately successful effort to create a city of
St. George. At a March 20 news conference to announce the forthcoming legislation, Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-St. George, said a key goal is to allow students in St. George to continue to patronize magnet programs in Baton Rouge and vice versa. He said he was already in talks with
Business ......................8A Commentary ................5B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................6D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-5D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
parish school leaders to forge an agreement and was ready for more. “I love hard conversations. I’m here for it,” Edmonds said in March. “I enjoy sitting around the table and hearing ideas, and that’s
ä See ST. GEORGE, page 6A
100TH yEAR, NO. 296