Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. 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 Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said in an announcement read by him from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell was accompanied by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute chief of staff and Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of liturgical ceremonies.
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalised.
“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite, merciful love of God, One and Tribune,” Cardinal Kevin Ferrell said.
Pope Francis emerged on Easter Sunday — a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause.
The Pope had been hospitalised for several weeks as he battled a severe bout of respiratory illness stemming from bronchitis, and was discharged on March 24, 2025. He was admitted to the Gemelli hospital in Rome, Italy on February 14, after experiencing difficulty in breathing for several days.
Pope Francis, who had been plagued in recent years by health issues, from knee and hip pain to an inflamed colon, was prone to respiratory infections after having part of his right lung cut away when he was 21.
The Pope is the successor of the Apostle Peter, the head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and the pastor of the universal Catholic Church on Earth, according to the church’s in-house canon law. Pope Francis was elected the 266th pontiff on March 13, 2013.
Pope Francis’ papacy was marked by his attempts to execute reforms within the Catholic Church. To that extent, history’s first Latin American Pope was vocal on social issues including the treatment of LGBTQIA+ members of the church, climate change, the refugee problem, and even said that the Church must “seek forgiveness” over the “scourge” of child sexual abuse. More recently, the Pope had issued stern criticism of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. In his last days, despite his health, the Pope made his daily call to a Gaza City parish to check in on the Catholic community there.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis began his career as a Jesuit priest in Argentina and later served as archbishop of Buenos Aires and a cardinal. As archbishop of Buenos Aires he spent nearly his entire career at home in Argentina, overseeing churches and shoe-leather priests, while clashing with the Argentine government over conservative issues.
As it is, we are being accused of interfering with Parliamentary and Executive functions: Supreme Court Bench to petitioner
The Supreme Court on Monday answered a plea to direct the Union government to invoke emergency powers and “protect” the State of West Bengal from violence with a question on whether such a measure would amount to a judicial incursion into the domains of the Executive and Legislature.
Justice B.R. Gavai, who has been recommended to be appointed as the next Chief Justice of India, obliquely referred to criticism about the judiciary intruding on government and parliamentary terrains following an April 8 judgment in the Tamil Nadu Governor case. The court, in its verdict, had issued timelines to the President and Governors for clearing Bills. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar had criticised the judiciary for acting like a “super-Parliament”.
“You want us to issue a writ of mandamus to the Union government to deploy paramilitary forces… Will it not be interfering with the Legislative and Executive domains? As it is, we are being accused of interfering with Parliamentary and Executive functions,” Justice Gavai remarked to advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain.
The judge’s remark from the Bench was in response to a plea by Mr. Jain to hear his application to invoke Article 355 of the Constitution. Article 355 mandates it the “duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution”. He pleaded for an urgent hearing of his plea on April 22.
Mr. Jain referred to the communal violence and deaths in West Bengal during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
Separately, Justice Gavai’s Bench asked a lawyer, who made an oral mentioning, to get Attorney General (A-G) R. Venkataramani’s permission to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey for his comments against the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna in the backdrop of the April 8 judgment. Under the law, the Attorney General has to give his consent to file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, another Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Surya Kant saw a petitioner-advocate, Shashant Shekhar Jha, withdraw his petition seeking the setting up of a Special Investigation Team and a court-monitored probe into the violence in West Bengal over the new waqf law amendments.
The Bench quizzed the petitioner about the sources based on which the allegations had been made in the writ petition. The court questioned whether the pleadings and averments had been properly verified by Mr. Jha before filing his writ petition.
“The people you have mentioned in the petition have not even been parties. Can we accept these allegations? How will they defend themselves? How can we examine these allegations behind their backs? File a proper petition. Help us in doing justice to those who are voiceless,” Justice Kant addressed Mr. Jha.
The court allowed the lawyer to withdraw his petition to file an amended one.
The hearing in Mr. Jha’s case was preceded by another filed by advocate-petitioner Vishal Tiwari, on the same issue. Mr. Tiwari also chose to withdraw his petition.
Both petitioners had referred to the violence in the Bhangar area of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on April 14. One of the pleas sought a direction to the State government to file a report in the apex court on steps taken to contain the violence and protect public property and lives. The Calcutta High Court had recently ordered the deployment of Central forces in Murshidabad district. At least three people were killed and hundreds rendered homeless in communal violence in parts of Murshidabad, mainly Suti, Samserganj, Dhulian and Jangipur, on April 11 and 12 during the protests against the waqf law amendments.
2024 protest case: Delhi court summons Trinamool leaders Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose, Saket Gokhale, others
A Delhi court on Monday summoned Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose, Saket Gokhale and other party functionaries for holding a protest in front of the Election Commission of India despite a prohibitory order in April last year.
Additional chief judicial magistrate Neha Mittal also summoned TMC leaders Santanu Sen, Dola Sen, Nadimul Haque, Vivek Gupta, Arpita Ghosh, Abir Ranjan Bishwas and Sudip Raha to appear on April 30.
Delhi Police alleged on April 8 last year the accused persons gathered outside the main gate of Election Commission of India (ECI) and started protesting with placards and banners without a requisite permission and despite the fact that Section 144 (prohibit gathering) of Code of Criminal Procedure was in place.
The police alleged they continued to protest despite warning on the imposition of Section 144 following which an FIR was registered.
“I have perused the chargesheet as well as the complaint… I take cognisance of the offences punishable under Section 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by a public servant) 145 (unlawful assembly) and 34 (common intention) IPC. All the accused persons be summoned through IO for April 30, 2025,” the court ordered.
The TMC leaders held the protest against central probe agencies CBI, NIA, ED and the Income Tax Department and demanded changing their chiefs.
A 10-member delegation of the TMC had announced the protest after meeting a full bench of the ECI to press their demand. The party alleged the central probe agencies were targeting opposition parties at the behest of the BJP-led Centre.
Supreme Court asks man to file suit for damages after he claims disability post COVID-19 first dose
The Supreme Court on Monday told a petitioner, who allegedly suffered disability due to the side-effects of COVID-19 vaccine’s first dose, to file a suit for damages instead of pursuing his plea.
A Bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih made the observation while hearing the plea for a direction to lay down appropriate guidelines for an effective resolution of side effects following immunisation (AEFI) with specific reference to COVID-19 vaccination.
“If you keep your petition pending here, nothing will happen for ten years. At least if you file a suit, you will get some quick relief,” the Bench said.
The petitioner’s counsel said the man was suffering from the adverse effects of immunisation after taking the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as he developed 100% lower limb disability.
“How can a writ petition be filed for that? File a suit for damages,” Justice Gavai said.
The counsel said there were two separate petitions raising a similar issue pending in the apex court and the coordinate Benches had issued notice on them. If the petitioner wanted, the court said, it would tag his plea with the pending petitions.
The Bench said the plea might be pending in the apex court for long and for 10 years, it might not see the light of the day. The counsel requested the Bench to grant him a week’s time to discuss it with his client.
“At least if a suit is filed, within one year or two years or three years, you will get some relief,” the Bench observed. The matter was then posted after a week.
The plea sought a direction to the Centre and the manufacturer of Covishield vaccine, Serum Institute of India, to ensure the petitioner was able to live with dignity as a physically disabled person.
It also sought a direction to them to reimburse his medical expenses and take responsibility for his future medical expenses for the treatment of his physical disability after being administered the first dose of the vaccine. Aside from these, the plea sought a direction to grant compensation to the petitioner for his physical disability if his condition was found to be untreatable.
Tahawwur Rana wants to talk to family, moves court
Jailed 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana has moved a court seeking the permission to talk to his family members.
Rana moved a plea through his counsel on April 19 before special judge Hardeep Kaur, who on Monday directed the NIA to file a reply by April 23.
The 64-year-old Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman was on April 10 sent to 18 day custody by a court.
The NIA alleged that as a part of the criminal conspiracy, accused David Coleman Headley, had discussed the entire operation with Rana before his visit to India.
Anticipating potential challenges, Headley sent an email to Rana detailing his belongings and assets, the NIA told the court seeking his remand.
Headley also informed Rana about the involvement of Pakistani nationals Ilyas Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman, who are also accused in the case, in the plot, it alleged.
Rana, a close associate of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks main conspirator David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a U.S. citizen, was brought to India after the U.S. Supreme Court on April 4 dismissed his review plea against his extradition.
On November 26, 2008, a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a rampage, carrying out a coordinated attack on a railway station, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, after they sneaked into India’s financial capital using the sea route in the Arabian Sea. As many as 166 people were killed in the nearly 60-hour assault.
Trump stands behind Hegseth after attack plans shared in second Signal chat, White House says
President Donald Trump stands behind U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, after reports that he shared details of a March attack on Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in a message group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
The revelations that Mr. Hegseth used the unclassified messaging system Signal for the second time to share highly sensitive security details come at a delicate moment for him, with senior officials ousted from the Pentagon last week as part of an internal leak investigation into his earlier use of the app.
“The President stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who is doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon,” Ms. Leavitt told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade.
“And this is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying to implement.” In the second chat, Mr. Hegseth shared details of the attack similar to those revealed last month by The Atlantic magazine after its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was included in a separate chat on the Signal app by mistake, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The second chat included about a dozen people and was created during Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation process to discuss administrative issues rather than detailed military planning. Among them was Mr. Hegseth’s brother, who is a Department of Homeland Security liaison to the Pentagon. Ms. Leavitt said Mr. Hegseth shared no classified information on either Signal chat.
In Brief:
J.D. Vance holds talks with PM Modi in Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held talks with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations for a bilateral trade pact. The two leaders discussed ways to further expand India-U.S. global strategic ties as well as New Delhi’s concerns over Washington’s trade policy. After the talks, the Prime Minister hosted a dinner for Mr. Vance, his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri and the delegation of senior US government officials accompanying the Vice President.
Supreme Court collegium recommends transfer of 7 High Court judges
The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the transfer of seven, including four from Karnataka, High Court judges. The collegium, headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, took the decision in meetings held on April 15 and 19. “With a view to infuse inclusivity and diversity at the level of high courts and to strengthen the quality of administration of justice, the Supreme Court collegium…has recommended transfer of the judges of high courts,” a collegium resolution said. The recommendations asked Justice Hemant Chandangoudar from Karnataka High Court to be sent to Madras High Court, Justice Krishnan Natarajan to Kerala, Justice Neranahalli Srinivasan Sanjay Gowda to Gujarat, and Justice Dixit Krishna Shripad to Orissa High Court.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
Published – April 21, 2025 09:34 pm IST