Remembering Pope Francis, 266th leader of the Catholic Church

Tributes pour in as the world remembers Pope Francis, the 266th leader of the Catholic Church. Also, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces scrutiny after he reportedly discussed military operations with his family in a second Signal chat.

Pope Francis, 266th leader of Catholic Church, dead at 88

Pope Francis, the 266th leader of the Catholic Church, died Monday morning, April 21. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican Camerlengo, announced the religious leader’s passing at the Casa Santa Marta.

“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 house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. 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 the One and Triune God.”

— Cardinal Kevin Farrell

The news comes just hours after the 88-year-old made an Easter Sunday appearance at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on April 20.

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta. pic.twitter.com/jUIkbplVi2

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) April 21, 2025

In his Easter address, delivered by Archbishop Diego Ravelli on the pontiff’s behalf, he urged peace in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as in other parts of the world experiencing conflicts.

In recent months, Francis battled a host of health issues, including diverticulitis, pneumonia and bronchitis.

Francis’ body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the Vatican has buried pontiffs for more than 100 years. However, in accordance with Francis’ wishes, he is expected to be buried at the ancient Basilica of St. Mary Major, which lies outside the Vatican walls.

His successor will be chosen during a conclave, a gathering of cardinals responsible for electing a new pope in strict seclusion at the Vatican.

Tributes began to pour in from around the world following the pope’s passing, including from Vice President JD Vance.

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.

I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days…

— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 21, 2025

A practicing Catholic, Vance met with Pope Francis over the weekend to celebrate Holy Week.

The vice president posted a tribute to the late pope, posting to X, “My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.”

Hegseth reportedly shared Yemen strike details in chat with family members

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly used his personal phone to send information about U.S. military operations in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, according to multiple sources.

The messages, sent on March 15, included flight schedules for jets tasked with striking Houthi targets, the sources said. Hegseth allegedly sent the messages the same day he shared similar operational details in a separate Signal chat, in which a journalist was accidentally included.

Reports about that chat sparked widespread concern regarding how senior officials handle sensitive military information.

El Salvador offers a prisoner swap to Venezuela involving US deportees

El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, proposed a prisoner swap with Venezuela. He offered to return 252 Venezuelans allegedly tied to gangs, murders and other crimes, deported from the U.S. and now detained in a Salvadoran mega prison, in exchange for an equal number of people he calls “political prisoners” held in Venezuela.

Venezuela pushed back, calling the deportees “kidnapped” migrants and questioned their detention.

Señor @NicolasMaduro, usted ha dicho en numerosas ocasiones que quiere a los venezolanos de regreso y en libertad.

A diferencia de usted, que tiene presos políticos, nosotros no tenemos presos políticos. Todos los venezolanos que tenemos bajo custodia fueron detenidos en el…

— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 20, 2025

Bukele called it a humanitarian agreement in a post on X, asking Venezuela for the return of family members of opposition leaders, journalists, lawyers and 50 detained citizens of other nationalities, including Americans.

Venezuela’s general attorney reportedly responded, asking for more information, including the names and medical status of Venezuelans detained in El Salvador. This signaled that the country may consider a swap. However, the two have yet to discuss and reach a formal agreement.

Ukraine, Russia accuse each other of breaking 30-hour Easter ceasefire

Russia and Ukraine launched missiles at each other Monday morning, April 21, ending what was supposed to be a 30-hour ceasefire.

About 100 strikes on Ukrainian regions occurred early Monday. However, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claimed that Russia had already attacked Ukraine during the agreed ceasefire. Additionally, Russia’s Vladimir Putin asserted that Ukraine also violated the ceasefire.

“The total number of violations by the Russian army of Russia’s own ceasefire promise throughout the day reached 2,935,” Zelenskyy posted to X.

A report by Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi as of 12:00 a.m., following the end of Easter.

The total number of violations by the Russian army of Russia’s own ceasefire promise throughout the day reached 2,935. The highest number of shellings and assaults occurred in the Pokrovsk…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2025

Zelenskyy offered a full 30-day ceasefire after Easter, saying, “[A] ceasefire will be met with ceasefire and Russian strikes will be met with our own in defense. Actions always speak louder than words.”

Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire over one thousand times.

The seemingly failed 30-hour ceasefire highlights the challenges that lie ahead for achieving a peace agreement to end the conflict, which has now entered its third year.

President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social on Sunday, April 20, saying, “Hopefully, Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week. Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune!”

In the meantime, Trump suggested that the U.S. and Ukraine might finalize a minerals deal by April 26. He asserted that an 80-page agreement would be signed, and his Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, hinted that the contract is expected to be completed on that date.

Bloomberg reported that the U.S. has reduced its repayment demands from $300 billion to $100 billion in the new minerals deal now on the table.

US-Iran nuclear program negotiations advance after Rome meeting

Talks between Iran and the U.S. will continue after a “positive” round of negotiations in Rome over the weekend. The two sides, which met indirectly, are working toward a possible deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program. These discussions marked the highest-level talks between the U.S. and Iran in years.

The U.S. seeks to halt Iran’s swift progress in enriching uranium essential for nuclear weapons.

A spokesman for U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who indirectly met with Iran’s counterpart, stated that Trump “has been clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon or enrichment program.”

However, a senior aide to Iran’s supreme leader stated that Iran will not accept the “dismantlement of its nuclear program,” but it hopes to achieve some relief from U.S. sanctions.

U.S. and Iranian officials plan to meet again next week for higher-level talks in Oman.

Humanoid robots compete in half-marathon

Perhaps some comforting news for the human race: it seems robots aren’t quite ready to take over the world yet. Twenty-one humanoid robots competed in a half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday, April 19, alongside human runners.

Humanoid robots ran alongside humans in a half-marathon in Beijing. The robots navigated the 21.1-kilometer (13.1-mile) course supported by teams of human navigators, operators and engineers, in what event organizers say was a first. Read here: https://t.co/qpVN6y2Szy pic.twitter.com/DcAMLGenJt

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 20, 2025

The first-of-its-kind 13-mile race was the culmination of months of training for the humanoids, which had to master skills that come a little more naturally to some of us humans, like balancing.

And while it was an impressive feat of innovation, the robots still have much to learn, as many of them apparently stumbled and tumbled their way through the race.