The death of Pope Francis leaves us with some very different narratives and perspectives of who he was and how we might assess his life and pontificate.  We are faced with trying to reconcile some of the many contradictions his pontificate presented to both the Church and the world. One element with a significant degree of confusion is the way the Press understood him.

We are left with the paradoxical impression that he might have been more popular with the secular Press than he was with the Church. He was almost universally celebrated by the media. The response within the Church was a matter of greater complexity.

It was press coverage and the way it chose to celebrate some issues, while closing its eyes to others that appeared inconsistent, that has been critical to the forging of the reputation of Pope Francis when alive and posthumously.

The Catholic Church risks a schism if it does not choose an “orthodox” leader, German Cardinal Gerhard Müller has warned ahead of next month’s conclave.

Müller, 77, has long been a leading light among traditional Catholics who often opposed the reformist approach of Pope Francis, and he is one of a handful of “conservative thinkers” in the Catholic Church based in Rome, alongside US Cardinal Raymond Burke, reports The Times.

Müller says he disagrees with the use of the labels “liberal” and “conservative” for the Catholic Church, pointing out the divide in the Church is deeper. The new pope, he said, “must be orthodox – neither a liberal nor a conservative”.

He said that “the question is not between conservatives and liberals but between orthodoxy and heresy”, adding: “I am praying that the Holy Spirit will illuminate the cardinals, because a heretic pope who changes every day depending on what the mass media is saying would be catastrophic.”

A social media push for Cardinal Robert Sarah to become the next pope appears to be gaining momentum in the wake of the death of Pope Francis.

What are described as “neatly packaged sound bites” are circulating rapidly around conservative social media spheres of influence, reports the Daily Telegraph.

It describes how this appears to be having an impact, at least in terms of the betting markets, which have seen Cardinal Sarah’s odds change significantly from just a 2 per cent chance at becoming the next pope, to the British betting company William Hill quoting him at 14/1, making him the “seventh favourite” in betting terms.

An unattributed video interview with the cardinal warning of the dangers of migration to Europe also began to be widely circulated after the death of Pope Francis was announced on 21 April.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has spoken about how despite the “intimidating” prospect of participating in a conclave he is looking forward to carrying out his duty to help choose Pope Francis’s successor.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who leads the roughly six million Roman Catholics in England and Wales, told BBC North West that he “never thought” he would be voting because Pope Francis “didn’t show many signs of slowing down” and appeared to be recovering from his long stay in hospital due to double pneumonia.

Filipino Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David has downplayed talk about “popular candidates” in the upcoming conclave that will occur following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday.

David, who left Manila for Rome on the morning of 24 April to attend Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday and then to participate in the subsequent conclave, said a papal election is unlike the political processes seen in different parts of the globe.

“There are no candidates in a conclave,” David, the bishop of Kalookan, told reporters on Tuesday after a Mass celebrated for the repose of Pope Francis’s soul at Kalookan Cathedral.

David dispelled the notion that the conclave is like a political election – a relevant comparison given the Philippines is holding its midterm elections on May 12. “No one will give dole-outs. No one will put up tarpaulins. No one will mount a campaign,” the cardinal said.

Each day in the run up to the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis – the date for which has yet to be set – we will run a profile of a different “papabile”, the Italian term for a man who could be pope. There’s no precise way to identity these contenders; it’s mostly a matter of weighing reputations, positions held and influence wielded over the years. There’s also certainly no guarantee one of these candidates will emerge wearing white; as an old bit of Roman wisdom has it, “He who enters a conclave as a pope exits as a cardinal.” But these profiles will feature the leading names drawing buzz in Rome right now, at least making it very likely that they will get a look. Knowing who these men are also suggests issues and qualities other cardinals see as desirable heading into the election.

As the world is gripped by anxiety and uncertainty, driven by the rise of authoritarian governments, a conflict in Europe that seems poised to spin out of control and deep economic volatility, the cardinals in Rome gather to elect a new pope. They decide to entrust the Barque of Peter to a veteran diplomat, a man they believe is equipped to steer her safely through the storms that seem destined to come.

When Pope Francis was elected to the Throne of Peter on 13 March 2013, he was largely unknown to the wider world. Even many of his fellow Argentines felt they had only a vague, indistinct impression of a man who, in their experience, had tended to shun the spotlight.

Within days, however, the new pontiff had established a narrative about himself which utterly electrified public opinion, and which would endure to the very end: that of a humble, simple man of the people – “the world’s parish priest” – who spurned luxury and privilege in favour of proximity to the underdogs and the excluded.

This was the pontiff, after all, who took the name “Francis” in homage to Catholicism’s most iconic and beloved saint, the “little poor man” of Assisi; this was the pope who rejected the marble and gold of the Papal Apartments in favour of the Domus Santa Marta, a modest hotel on Vatican grounds; this was the pope who returned to the clerical residence where he’d stayed prior to his election to pack his own bag and to pay his own bill; and this was the pope who, 15 days later, spent his first Holy Thursday not in the ornate setting of St. Peter’s Basilica, but at a youth prison in Rome where he washed the feet of 12 inmates, including two Muslims and two women.

Since Wednesday, the remains of Pope Francis are lying in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica until his funeral Mass on Saturday.

Francis’s simple coffin, based on his specifications, was laid at the Altar of the Confessio, a sacred space in front of the main altar, above the tomb of St. Peter, the first pope. Francis decreed that his coffin would not be exhibited on a raised platform known as a catafalque, and would not be comprised of the usual triple casket of cypress, lead and oak.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias has described Pope Francis as having been “a person of deep faith [and] prayer” while also serving as the type of “fearless” pontiff who was needed during the period that he led the Catholic Church.

“The Holy Spirit sends us the leader that we need at different times,” Gracias said. “When Pope Francis began the papacy, all of us did not know what to expect as he was not much known outside of Rome, not even in Rome with the Curia. But as I look back at these last twelve years – what an impact he has made on the Church and on the world.”

Mourners have begun filling St. Peter’s Square to await their turn to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, whose remains will lie in state inside the basilica for the next three days prior to his funeral Mass on Saturday.

In a ceremony steeped in tradition but also reflecting the late pope’s penchant for innovation, his remains were formally relocated Wednesday morning from the Casa Santa Marta, the hotel on Vatican grounds where he lived for twelve years and where he died Easter Monday from complications related to double pneumonia.

The rite was presided over by US Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who serves as the camerlengo, or chamberlain, meaning the custodian of the Vatican during the papal interregnum.

“Let us thank the Lord for countless gifts that he bestowed on the Christian people through His servant Pope Francis,” Farrell said.

Pope Francis was a globally beloved and respected figure during his twelve years at the helm of the Catholic Church. But he also generated a significant amount of controversy during his papacy – much of which, thanks to social media, played out visibly in real time.

After an initial “honeymoon phase” following Francis’s election, which he himself predicted wouldn’t last long, criticism began to flow in – reaching at times a cascade – when he started his serious decision-making, and it became clear that his papacy would mark a shift from the more conservative tone of his two immediate predecessors.

As the Church and the world reflect on the legacy and impact of his papacy, here’s a look at what are arguably the most controversial decisions he made.

The transfer of the coffin containing the body of Pope Francis from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica began today in the Vatican around 9 a.m. local time in Rome.

Once inside the basilica, the papal Camerlegno, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who governs the Church during the sede vecante until a new pope is elected, will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, after which visits to the Pope’s body will begin with his official lying in state.

Pope Francis’s funeral will be held Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m., Rome local time, in St. Peter’s Square. It will be presided over by Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis in 2013, the world was immediately captivated by his charismatic personality, his simplicity, his sense of closeness and by the fresh and, frankly, unusual papal vocabulary he often employed.

From his first buona sera, his occasional mother-in-law jokes, to his use of symbolic imagery and his shoot-from-the-hip quips – some of which got him into trouble – Pope Francis was a soundbite machine.

While he became more scripted the longer his papacy went on, his frank and easy style of conversation, and his simple language and warm engagement with both members of the public and political leaders were among his most magnetic aspects after his election.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias has described Pope Francis as having been “a person of deep faith [and] prayer” while also serving as the type of “fearless” pontiff who was needed during the period that he led the Catholic Church.

“The Holy Spirit sends us the leader that we need at different times,” Gracias said. “When Pope Francis began the papacy, all of us did not know what to expect as he was not much known outside of Rome, not even in Rome with the Curia. But as I look back at these last twelve years – what an impact he has made on the Church and on the world.”

Gracias was the archbishop of Bombay until the Pope accepted his retirement earlier this year. The cardinal spoke to Crux after learning about the death of Pope Francis on Monday.

The transfer of the coffin containing the body of Pope Francis from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica began today in the Vatican around 9 a.m. local time in Rome.

Once inside the basilica, the papal Camerlegno, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who governs the Church during the sede vecante until a new pope is elected, will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, after which visits to the Pope’s body will begin with his official lying in state.

Images of the coffin containing the body of Pope Francis at Casa Santa Marta have been released by the Vatican.

The pictures and video, taken on Easter Monday, and released this morning, show the body of the 88-year-old pontiff, hours after his death, during the rite of the Confirmation of the Death of the Pontiff.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, who will oversee the Holy See until a new pope is elected, can be seen blessing the body of Pope Francis.

ROME – Following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, the Vatican has announced that his funeral will be held Saturday morning in Rome at St. Peter’s Basilica, before his coffin is transferred to a different location, per his special request, for his entombment.ROME – Following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, the Vatican has announced that his funeral will be held Saturday morning in Rome at St. Peter’s Basilica, before his coffin is transferred to a different location, per his special request, for his entombment.

“Pope Francis has returned to the House of the Father.” Those sad words, read out by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a former Bishop of Dallas, shortly after 10 a.m. local time yesterday morning echoed John Paul II’s final utterance in April 2005: “Allow me to depart to the house of the Father”. It is twenty years since the world last saw a pope die in office.

Few Catholics can not have been moved by Francis’s dignified response to suffering and decline over the past few months, which his spiritual testament has now told us he offered “to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples”. His long hospitalisation occasioned an outpouring of sympathy and concern; he willed himself to be discharged from the Gemelli Hospital to reach the Easter liturgies, and to appear amongst his flock one last time.

President Donald Trump has ordered that flags at federal, state and military buildings be lowered to the half-mast position – referred to as “half-staff” in the US – in honour of Pope Francis who died on Monday at the age of 88.

The 47th US president also announced that he and his wife will attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. US flags shall remain lowered until the Pope’s funeral, according to the executive order.

“As a mark of respect for the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment,” the executive order reads.

SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Pope Francis’s death at 88 in Rome on Apr. 21 has truly affected his motherland of Argentina.

Since the Vatican released the tragic news, there has been unprecedented commotion in the South American nation. The most visible expressions of grief have been coming from the so-called villas de emergencia o villas miseria, as the Argentinians call their slums.

“Sadness is noticeable among the poorest social segments. He was an icon for the poor,” said Bishop Marcelo Margni of Avellaneda-Lanús.