Tributes to Pope Francis pour in from around the world with Vatican set to published details of funeral and conclave

Guillermo Marco, spokesman for the pope when he was Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, told Reuters it had been a "wasted opportunity" for Argentina. Francis, he said, had

After a final appearance at St. Peter's Square following Easter Mass, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 on Monday, April 21. Francis had experienced health issues in recent months,

As tradition dictates, the late pontiff’s signet ring will be destroyed — or defaced, at least — within the walls of the Vatican following his death on Easter Monday.

The pontiff’s death initiated a well-structured series of rituals designed to mourn the loss of the 1.3 billion-member church’s leader and to ensure stability with the selection of a new pope.

Pope Francis’s tenure was punctuated by repeated clashes with American political leaders and sweeping efforts to install more liberal-leaning church leaders.