A debrief of the day Pope Francis died and the papal transition

“POPE IS DEAD.” That was the starling text on the breaking-news Slack channel at 4 a.m. sharp on Easter Monday from Christopher White, the Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter in Rome. While we were ready, we did not expect this. Francis, who had survived a 34-day hospital stay and nearly died twice while battling double pneumonia, appeared to be getting better. We thought he had dodged a bullet. And in fact he had recovered from the bronchitis-driven respiratory bug. Then he died of a stroke on April 21. Within minutes, White posted a news story — pre-written just in case — about the death of Pope Francis, and a prepared, comprehensive obituary more than 4,500 words in length. NCR journalists had covered the health crisis of Francis in great detail, from daily updates to hospital reports to pilgrims joining the nightly rosaries in St. Peter’s Square. We followed the pope’s unstoppable participation in Holy Week appearances and his Easter Sunday blessing and final jaunt around the square in the popemobile. Suddenly, NCR was facing the journalistic challenge of a generation: covering the death of a pope beloved by our readers, his burial and the election of a new pontiff. A wave of emotion crashed over me. I began to shake, felt nauseous, trying not to panic. One of my journalism friends, Robin Turner, an ordained Christian minister, who knew I had been preoccupied with this moment from the day I took the executive editor’s position last fall, texted me. “Much grace. You’ve got this.” I called an emergency meeting. This would be no ordinary moment. We needed help, specifically from the Holy Spirit. Before the meeting, I asked John Grosso to say a prayer. Here are his remarks and prayer, edited for brevity. Many of us have been up and working for hours. Take a deep breath and let's just pause. This is going to be a busy day. A busy week. A busy month. But the same God who called Francis to his ministry 12 years ago has called you to be here, this day, for this purpose, to do this work. Remember that. Peace be with you. These are the words Christ prayed to his disciples when he rose from the dead … We pray for peace. God, We pray for the peaceful rest of Pope Francis - a kind and loving servant of deep faith. … We also gather here in joy. It is not lost on us, oh God, that you saw fit to call Pope Francis home the day after Easter. … Finally, we gather here in thanksgiving..for the pontificate of Francis. Thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit for sending him to us. For a time, we were graced to share in his mission to reform, rebuild, and reorient the Church towards, mercy, hope, and inclusivity. Let us pray for one another as we embark now on the journey of authentically representing his pontificate, triumphs, tribulations and everything in between. … Well done, good and faithful servant, Pope Francis. Now, go in peace. Amen. The work on a papal transition actually had been under way for months. Led by news editor Carol Zimmermann and White, NCR had built from scratch a database of every elector in the College of Cardinals. (Cardinal electors are cardinals under the age 80.) We had researched the age, birthplace, country of assignment, biography and views on 10 key issues, including promoting women in church leadership, gay blessings and the Latin Mass. We hired a world-class data visualization specialist who created an interactive database that could be sorted by point of view on the 10 topics, country of assignment, pope who appointed them, religious order, among other ways. To cover the funeral, transition and conclave, tiny NCR deployed seven journalists in Rome including me — more than some of the world’s leading news organizations. They were NCR’s White, Camillo Barone, Michael Sean Winters, and NCR’s Global Sisters Report writer Rhina Guidos, social media reporter Olivia Bardo and GSR editor Soli Salgado, who had already planned to be in Rome for the worldwide meeting of women religious superiors general. Plus, everyone on staff pitched in. And you. You contributed too. You are part of our team. Your support made all of this coverage possible. Now, the bill has come due. We were committed to the kind of coverage you could count on. We need your help. Rome is an expensive world capital. Airlines don’t give discounts to nonprofits. Hotels in the Eternal City were at a premium Easter Week of a Jubilee year. Programming an interactive database takes time and expense. Won’t you please help pay for our in-depth coverage of the legacy of Pope Francis and the election of the first pontiff from the United States? Please click on this link, send us a check or call in a credit card number today at (816) 968-2233. Donors like you made this happen. Thanks for your contributions. Gratefully, James Grimaldi NCR Executive Editor P.S. Thanks to everyone who has supported NCR throughout the Spring Fund Drive and the papal transition. It’s not too late to make your gift! Explore all the ways to support NCR. Copyright (C) 2025 National Catholic Reporter Publishing Co.. All rights reserved.