Pope Francis, the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died of a stroke early Monday, less than 24 hours after meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. He was 88.
Francis led the Catholic Church for just over 12 years after his election in March 2013. He became known as a humble reformer who emphasized mercy over judgment and encouraged the church to engage deeply with the poor, the marginalized and the broader challenges of the modern world.
In Cincinnati, where more than 400,000 Catholics live within the Archdiocese, leaders responded with mourning and gratitude. Archbishop Robert G. Casey, installed earlier this month, called Francis “a good and faithful servant to God.”
“As we commend a good and faithful servant to God, let us remember that Pope Francis proclaimed 2025 as a Jubilee Year of Hope — awakening us to Christ, who is alive and present in our midst. In the words of the Psalmist: “Hope in the Lord! Hold firm, take heart, and hope in the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14),” Casey wrote. “May we, then, be filled with hope — hope that Pope Francis will receive the reward of a life poured out in selfless service and love for God’s people and all creation; hope that Christ, who comforts us in our mourning, will send the Holy Spirit to be our Helper; and hope that this same Spirit will inspire and unite us as the Church to stand firm in faith, proclaiming the power of the Resurrection and the joy of the Gospel.”
Archbishop Emeritus Dennis M. Schnurr, who previously led the Cincinnati Archdiocese for more than 15 years before his retirement this spring, recalled Francis as an “unwavering champion of world peace.”
“The Holy Father will long be remembered for his great compassion for the elderly, the sick, the unborn, the persecuted and all those on the margins of society,” wrote Schnurr. “He continuously reminded us that we are the stewards of God’s creation and not its master. And he was an unwavering champion of world peace.”
Churches in the archdiocese will hold mass for Pope Francis after the conclusion of the Octave of Easter, which continues through April 27, according to Cincinnati Archdiocese spokesperson Jennifer Schack. (Masses for the dead cannot be celebrated during the Octave of Easter, unlike a funeral Mass.) Downtown, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains has set up a memorial inside the cathedral where mourners are welcome to come and pray, according to Schack.
Tension between Vance and Pope Francis
Francis’s final public engagement was a private Easter Sunday meeting with Vance, which followed a critical exchange between Vance and the Pope in February. That’s when Vance invoked the theological concept of ordo amoris — the “order of love” — to defend the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies.
Pope Francis, who made caring for migrants central to his papacy, responded pointedly to the Trump administration in a letter to U.S. bishops.
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“I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations,” Francis wrote. “…the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.”
Challenging Vance’s interpretation of ordo amoris, a concept discussed by St. Augustine, Pope Francis warned Vance was too rigid and individualistic in his view, urging instead a model of Christian love.
“Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups,” Francis wrote. “In other words: the human person is not a mere individual, relatively expansive, with some philanthropic feelings! The human person is a subject with dignity who, through the constitutive relationship with all, especially with the poorest, can gradually mature in his identity and vocation. The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan.'”
Vance later said he wasn’t interested in litigating “about who’s right and who’s wrong,” speaking about the controversy with Francis, praising the pope as one who “cares about the flock of Christians under his leadership and the spiritual direction of the faith.”
On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis spoke to Vance via a translator, who offered the vice president chocolate eggs for his children, rosaries and a Vatican tie.
“I pray for you every day,” Vance told Francis. “God bless you.”
Vance’s Easter conversation with Pope Francis wasn’t as policy-driven as his Saturday meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, according to a statement from the Vatican.
“There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees and prisoners,” the Vatican said. “Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged.”
Vance released a statement on X following the news of Francis’ death, saying the pope was “obviously” ill.
“I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” Vance wrote on X. “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.”
While Francis and Vance often diverged politically, particularly on immigration and nationalism, the vice president praised the pope’s spiritual leadership on X.
“I thought his homily early in the COVID pandemic was really quite beautiful,” Vance said.
Following tradition, the Vatican will enter a formal mourning period that includes nine days of funeral rites. A conclave of cardinals under the age of 80 will gather later this spring to elect a new pope by secret ballot.
Follow CityBeat’s staff news writer Madeline Fening on Instagram. Got a news tip? Email mfening@citybeat.com.
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This article appears in Apr 16-29, 2025.
