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CNN's Special Coverage On The Death Of His Holiness Pope Francis. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 22, 2025 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

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ISA SOARES, CNN HOST: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States, around the world and streaming on CNN Max.

I'm Isa Soares coming to you live from Rome, where tributes to Pope Francis are pouring into the Vatican as cardinals are set to make funeral arrangements for the pontiff.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church in Atlanta, where we are following the fallout or lack thereof after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's second Signal leak.

SOARES: Good morning, everyone. It is 9 a.m. here in Rome and at the Vatican, where officials are mourning Pope Francis, one day after he died of a stroke and heart failure.

They're also marking the first full day of what's known as the Papal Interregnum, I'm sure someone will correct me on my Latin there. That is the period between the death of a pope and the election of another. Cardinals are gathering today to discuss funeral plans, and we could learn the date of the funeral shortly being told.

The pope is expected to lie in state at St. Peter's Basilica for people to pay their respects as early as this Wednesday as tomorrow. And the dean of the Colleges of Cardinals is expected to convene the first general congregation this hour, which is the first meeting to prepare for the conclave. And that is, as you well know, the process for the election of the next pope.

Meanwhile, memorial masses are being held all over the world, including here in the capital. The Vatican says the pope asked to be buried in a simple tomb at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, which you see here, and where his photos are now on display. We'll speak to the significance in that with my next guest in just a moment.

Pope Francis was the first pope from Latin America, the first from the Jesuit order, and the first to call himself Francis, a man of many firsts, clearly. Our chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward reports on his groundbreaking life and his legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bells toll at St. Peter's in tribute to a pope who reshaped the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis died from stroke and heart failure on Monday morning, the Vatican said. And as news broke of his passing, mourners poured into St. Peter's Square, united in their grief.

UNKNOWN: It's just a very sad day. It's honestly, I think, impressive that he made it to Easter. I think that's almost like a miracle for Italy.

UNKNOWN: It's pretty much devastated all of us. Yes, really bad. Really sad.

UNKNOWN: It's a moment of a bit of sadness and at the same time thankfulness and celebration of life.

WARD (voice-over): Outside the pope's residence at Casa Santa Marta, prayers and shock.

UNKNOWN: I mean, yesterday we saw him in the square, in St. Peter's Square, and we knew he was sick, but nobody expected that he was going to die the day after.

WARD (voice-over): Pope Francis had cut back on his duties this month after five weeks in the hospital this year, when he battled life- threatening double pneumonia.

But on Sunday, he'd been hard at work, meeting U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. Before appearing on the balcony of St. Peter's, sick, frail, but determined to give his traditional Easter blessing.

A move delighting the crowd gathered outside.

More so, his ride through the square in his popemobile, for the first time since leaving the hospital a month ago, stopping to bless the young, sick, and vulnerable.

On Monday, though, the jubilation of the Catholic faithful turned into a global grief. Tributes praising his warmth, humility, and moral leadership in a troubled world. During his whole pontificate, President Macron said he was by the side of the most vulnerable, the most fragile.

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In the pope's final weeks, he visited prisoners in a jail in Rome, and renewed calls in his final address for an end to the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: He urged the world to invest in what he referred to as the weapons of peace, to help the most vulnerable, to fight hunger, to advance development.

WARD (voice-over): Rosary prayers were said at the Vatican Monday night, in honor of an extraordinary life that touched rich and poor across the world.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Let's get more on the life, as well as the legacy of Pope Francis. Joining me now is Fr. Stephen Wang, Rector of the Venerable English Colleges, also here with me in Rome.

Father, thank you very much. A very good morning to have you here.

He was, as Clarissa said, he touched so many right around the world, not even just Catholics and Christians, but so many people from other faiths. And he was, in many ways, this is something I've been hearing as a Catholic, I feel it, but also hearing from so many of my guests, a great leader, but a great exemplar of the Christian faith, in his simplicity, in his humility, in his great compassion for the other.

Speak to how you will remember him, first of all, because I know you already held a mass in your congregation and prayed for Pope Francis. But from a personal level, he looms large here in Rome. Speak to that.

FR. STEPHEN WANG, RECTOR, VENERABLE ENGLISH COLLEGE: He does. Just being here in Rome, there's a great sense of sadness and shock, because he was not just our Pope, but he was our Bishop here. So there's very much a sense of losing a spiritual father.

For me, Pope Francis, it's all in the name. Remember the very first day that he walked out into the St. Peter's Square from the balcony, and he chose that name of Francis, wanting to take St. Francis of Assisi as a model, the simplicity, the poverty of spirit, the openness to others, the openness to creation.

And I think he's lived that for these 12 years. The absolute key has been wanting to go out to others and meet them where they are, and make sure that the doors of the church are open, that the church is a home for everyone. And I think you see that in so many examples.

SOARES: And I think that's something that touched so many. My previous guest was in Singapore, talked about his trip. I think he spent 11 days in his trip to Asia, perhaps his longest.

But it's going to his flock rather than his flock coming to him. That spoke so much, said so much to so many people.

You held a Mass yesterday, just upon learning the news of his death. Speak to me how your congregation remembers him. I know in Rome last night when I arrived, the driver was saying, it's so quiet in Rome. There's a sense of shock and a sadness too.

What did your congregation -- what did you get away from your congregation in terms of how they're feeling today?

WANG: Well, I work in a seminary where young men are training for the priesthood. So to be here in Rome, you're constantly referring to Pope Francis, and you're coming down to meet him when friends come to visit. So I think when we had the Mass yesterday, there was a real prayerfulness, a sense of gratitude. And this was someone that they actually knew.

At the beginning of each academic year, we would go to meet Pope Francis as the new group of students. And he would always give them time. He'd always want to know where they were from, what the situation was like in their home countries.

So there's that sense of connection between people who are here in Rome. And it was really good that we could pray for him yesterday morning. I mean, above all, you can talk as much as you like, but for a Catholic, the instinct when someone dies that you love is to pray.

SOARES: It is to pray, and we've seen so many people right around the world praying for him and mourning his loss, but also celebration of his life in many ways, of what he's achieved, and how visionary he was in many ways as the leader of the Catholic Church.

You know, what we keep hearing, and our correspondent mentioned this, Father, is the fact that he's a pope of so many firsts. The first from Latin America, the first Jesuit, and the first from outside of Europe in something like 800 years. You know, it's incredible just to think of that.

And his death, very much like his life, he's breaking away from tradition, not wanting, in fact, to his funeral and to lie in rest at Santa Maria Maggiore. That really struck me when I read his testament yesterday, and the importance of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Madonna. Speak to why he picked that.

WANG: Pope Francis has always had a really deep love for the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. I think this comes from his roots, from his home experiences, and in Argentina it's very strong. So his favorite church in Rome over his many years of visits has been St. Mary Major, Santa Maria Maggiore. It's a beautiful church, it's one of the most ancient, and it's got a great prayerfulness to it.

So if you remember, the very first thing he did after he'd been elected pope was to go to St. Maria Maggiore to pray to Our Lady in thanksgiving and to ask for her help. One of the stories I love about Pope Francis, which has helped me a lot in my life, is he often speaks to Our Lady with the title, Mary, Untier of Knots.

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Because the prayers of Mary can help us to untangle some of our spiritual difficulties, and we go to pray to her when we're stuck. And this love for Mary is something that's always been part of Pope Francis' life.

SOARES: Yes, and in his testament, which is so beautiful, that I read yesterday, he often went to Santa Maria di Maggiore and prayed with Mary once he came back from a trip. You know, he came back from any sort of trip, they travel around the world, that's where he often went to pray. He took the time to be there and to reflect with Mary. I thought that was just Virgin Mary, I thought that was incredibly potent, but also said much about the man and who he was and the simplicity from Pope Francis.

Let's talk about his legacy. My previous guest was saying that, I know there's something like 80 cardinals that he elected. Are we likely to see, you think, a continuation of his legacy in terms of progressive nature?

How do you see, as we look to the next pope, we have no idea in terms of dates yet for the conclave, but who do you think, what direction, first of all, do you think this church is going to take? Because it's not so much about who the next pope will be, but the direction the church is going to take.

WANG: I think it's good to remember what the pope and the papacy is all about. Fundamentally, it's not about, for example, a new political party taking control and everything changes. It's about the role of the pope is to hold the church in unity and to keep the Catholic Church faithful to the teaching of Jesus and the teaching of the apostles.

So, fundamentally, it's not about innovation. It's about keeping the unity of the church solid and strong.

But you do have different flavors. You do have different styles. Clearly, one of Pope Francis' styles and emphasis, which is a spiritual thing and not just a human thing, is that openness to others.

I remember, it was almost in the first two or three weeks of his papacy, that he went to Rebibbia prison to wash the feet of prisoners during the Holy Thursday services just before Easter.

And so for a pope to say the church is not just about St Peter's behind us here, it's not just about the sacristy or the mass, it's about going to where people are and where people can't get to very often.

And just another completely different example, remembering the variety of cardinals he's chosen and his trip to Mongolia, which has only got a few hundred Catholics and now the bishop there is one of the cardinals who will be electing the next pope. So he's a pope of surprises and a pope who wants to open things out.

SOARES: So in terms of what you're telling me then, do you get a sense that that has worked -- that has worked very well for the church? The church recognizes the importance of what he achieved in terms of the progressive nature of going out of his flock. Is that a continuation, you think? Is that likely to continue with the next pope?

WANG: Yes, I think so. I think this openness is important. He didn't invent it.

Remember, John Paul II was the pope that went to every country in the world or something and has met billions of people. And in his own quiet way, Pope Benedict was very, very keen to dialogue, to go outside, to speak to the other.

But definitely Pope Francis has given that a new energy and I think that will continue. But again, what style that will take is unknown. And we don't know, really don't know what shape the next pope will take.

SOARES: And in such a fragmented world, that is so important right now, Father.

I think we've got some new video. If we can bring that up, I'm just going to speak to my producer.

Pope Francis, I think you can see him in an open coffin. This just coming in to us from Vatican City.

As you well know, Pope Francis will be lying in state from tomorrow, we've been told, onwards. But he's lying in rest at the moment in a separate church. Yesterday, close members of his family, senior leaders, were joined there in prayer for him.

Do we have a sense of where that is, Pope? Do you know, Father? Let me just get the details of where he was being held.

This is the start, really, of days of mourning, the Sede Vacante, of mourning the loss of the Holy Father, of course, but also the next steps, of course, for the church. I'm just trying to figure out where this is.

I have it in my notes. Because, obviously, as you well know, he lies in rest. I think this is the chapel, the Dom of Santa Marta. A string of senior officials, we were told, family members, are taking part in significant rites there.

I think he was lying in a coffin, I think, from 8:00 last night. I believe, according to the Camerlingo, is that right?

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WANG: I'm not 100 percent sure. I think this is the chapel of Santa Marta, which is the residence where he chose to live and, therefore, to die. And, as you can see, his close associates, mainly, here, are praying the prayers for the dead there and honoring his mortal remains.

So, there's a sense of great prayerfulness and gratitude there, as well.

SOARES: Thank you very much, Father. I appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Thank you.

And world leaders are paying tribute to Pope Francis, a man they remember as a beacon of compassion, and, as the Father and I were talking about, a beacon of hope, as well. Just take a listen.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: He was a good man, worked hard, he loved the world, and it's an honor to do that.

SERGIO MATTARELLA, ITALIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Alongside the grief for the death of Pope Francis, I feel, as I said this morning, a sense of emptiness, a sense of the deprivation of a point of reference to which I looked. He conquered the world from the very first moment.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Pope Francis' compassion embraced all humanity, and, today, he will be mourned by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): So, it is a painful loss. May he rest in peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And those are just some of the many condolences coming in from right around the world, as you can see there on your screen, from the British royal family, of course, who recently met with the Pope, to the presidents of Ukraine, Kenya, and Turkey, all speak of Pope Francis as a man who led the world's Catholics with both humility and with love, and so much compassion as well, and who set an example for people of all religions.

And still to come, embattled U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing one crisis after another. The latest on the second Signal chat scandal, after the break.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

U.S. President Donald Trump is denying there's any dysfunction at the Pentagon, but his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing more backlash after sharing military plans in a second Signal group chat, this time with members of his family.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand has details.

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NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Sources tell us that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared details about the U.S.' military operation against the Houthis in a second Signal chat last month, this one on his personal phone, and that included his wife, lawyer, and his brother.

The chat included over a dozen people and was set up during the confirmation process as a way for him to strategize with some of his closest advisors, but he continued to use it after he was confirmed to discuss things related to the military. Hegseth's lawyer and his brother both have jobs at DOD now, but his wife does not, and it's not clear whether she has a security clearance.

There is also already an Inspector General review ongoing into Hegseth's use of Signal, and sources told CNN over the weekend that Hegseth has become increasingly concerned about that probe in recent weeks.

But at least publicly, Hegseth is projecting confidence. He told reporters on Monday that the leaks were coming from, quote, "disgruntled former employees."

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: See, this is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations. Not going to work with me.

BERTRAND: News of the second Signal chat broke around the same time that Hegseth's former top spokesperson, John Ullyot, wrote a scathing op-ed for "Politico" saying that the Pentagon under Hegseth is in, quote, "total chaos". Ullyot wrote that, quote, "It's been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president who deserves better from his senior leadership -- it's hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer."

Ullyot's reference there to mass firings has to do with Hegseth's decision to fire three senior Pentagon officials last week, including two of his closest longtime advisors, Dan Caldwell and Darren Selnick. We were told that the firings came after weeks of infighting between Hegseth's aides, including his chief of staff and press leaks that rattled Hegseth so much that at one point he actually demanded an FBI investigation.

His aides advised against that because they argued it might only invite further scrutiny at a time when he's already under investigation for his use of Signal.

Natasha Bertrand, CNN in Washington.

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CHURCH: Earlier, CNN spoke with former special counsel at the Defense Department, Ryan Goodman. He was asked if this second Signal chat could get Hegseth into more trouble than the first one.

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RYAN GOODMAN, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL, U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT: For many people absorbing this news, they might, I think, be clouded in thinking about it as though this is about Signal. And it was bad before because all the cabinet members were on Signal, which is an unsecured system, to talk about battle plans.

Here, it's not necessarily even being on Signal. It's that he's communicating the battle plans to people who should never receive it. So the first one was about, like, was this gross negligence in the way in which they were doing it?

This isn't about gross negligence. It's purposeful dissemination of national defense information to people who have no basis for receiving it. That's what the law is actually aimed at.

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CHURCH: Harvard University is suing the Trump administration in the escalating fight over federal funding and oversight. The lawsuit says cutting off money to force Harvard to submit to government control of its academic programs violates the university's constitutional rights.

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And it says there's no rational connection between concerns about anti-Semitism and funding cuts for medical, scientific and other research. The Trump administration is freezing more than $2 billion in federal money over claims that Harvard has not done enough to curb anti-Semitism on campus.

Still to come, much more on reaction pouring in from around the world over the death of Pope Francis. You're watching CNN.

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SOARES: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Isa Soares coming to you live from Rome. Let's check today's top stories.

Funeral preparations are underway at the Vatican for Pope Francis who died on Monday of a heart failure and a stroke aged 88. His body is expected to lie in state at St. Peter's Basilica as early as Wednesday. The Pope's official residence and personal apartment have been sealed by the Vatican, symbolizing the formal end of his pontificate.

President Trump is stunning by his Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, who accused of sharing detailed military plans on Houthi strikes in Yemen in a second signal group chat. Sources tell CNN his wife, brother and lawyer were on the chat. It is unclear whether all of them have security clearance.

And U.S. financial stock markets will look to rebound after another sharp sell-off on Monday. The Dow, the S&P and the Nasdaq closed down about 2.5 percentage points after Donald Trump called Fed Chair Jerome Powell, quote, "a major loser." The U.S. President is pushing Powell to cut interest rates.

Among the many tributes to the late Pope Francis, the Eiffel Tower in Paris going dark on Monday night to mark his passing, as you can see there. The city's mayor has also proposed naming a public place in Paris after Pope Francis in his honor.

CNN's Jim Bitterman joins me now from Paris with more reaction to the Pope's death.

And Jim, here in Rome, there is a sense of huge loss. The streets are being particularly quiet even last night as people mourn the passing of Pope Francis. How is he being remembered in Paris?

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in Paris, like a lot of places around the world, there were masses and vigils, I would say, pretty typically like what you would see elsewhere, mourners coming and gathering almost immediately after the word of the Pope's death reached them, that they gathered around churches.

In Marseilles and Lille, there were vigils last night. And then outside of France and around Europe and around the world, there were all kinds of tributes and masses. There were a number of countries that have declared days of mourning.

For example, in Latin America, there'll be several days of mourning. And particularly what's interesting is that there'll be in nominally communist Cuba, there are going to be a couple of days of mourning there. Perhaps the only muted sign of mourning, only muted reaction to the Pope's death was from China, which has had its difficulties with the Catholic Church.

And so they have not declared anything official. We just received word this morning, by the way, that President Macron of France will be heading to the funeral, but just -- we're not sure when because we don't know exactly when the funeral, until the Vatican tells us when the funeral will be.

So that is another sign of kind of recognition this Pope has gotten because of his many, many works and many years of concern for international issues, which has put him in the forefront of a lot of leaders around the world. Isa.

SOARES: Yes, and this is indeed and President Macron, but also President Trump, we understand will also be traveling to Vatican to Rome for his funeral. Once we have a clear sense of or a sense of when that will be, that should be in the coming days, Jim.

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But your last point that you were making that Pope Francis, you know, very from day one from 2013, very clear in his messaging, you know, in terms of bringing his messaging to the poorest, and on topics that touch so many, be it the crisis, the war in Sudan, the war in Gaza, the hostage, this is something that he continued to focus on. And I think that resonated with many people outside even of the Catholic community.

BITTERMAN: Right up into the very end, I mean, his messages about Gaza, for example, he was totally engaged that way, totally engaged internationally in general. Ukraine, he spoke out often about the suffering there.

It was a Pope that was definitely saw the office as being an office to be used to encourage national and international leaders to use their forces behind them for good. And he said that several times. And like I said, right up to the last day, in his message, the Easter message, he declared that that people should do more to end the suffering of people around the world, and particularly in Gaza and Ukraine and Sudan, as you mentioned.

SOARES: Jim Bitterman for us there in Paris. Thank you very much, Jim.

Well, the uproaring out of grief for Pope Francis being felt on every continent, as Jim was saying, right around the world.

He was very popular in the Philippines, Asia's largest Catholic nation, where more than 2000 people pay tribute, as you can see there, at a mass in Manila earlier. One woman, overcome with emotion, said losing Pope Francis was like losing a father.

Worshippers in the Democratic Republic of Congo also paying tribute. The Pope was a beloved figure in the war-torn country for his frequent prayers for peace.

Meanwhile, we take you to London, one priest reflected on the impact of the Pope's passing.

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JONATHAN BESWICK, PRIEST: I think on Christians throughout the world, so many people look to the Pope as the leader of the Christian world. And I think it will be a time of great sadness, but also a time when people will be praying and reflecting on what the Lord is calling his people to do next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Okay. Well, Catholics in South Korea also prayed and expressed their gratitude to Pope Francis in the capital, Seoul.

The Pope visited the country, if you remember, back in 2014 as part of his first trip to Asia. He met with survivors as well as family members of victims from the Seoul ferry accident, which killed more than 300 people that very year.

I'm going to take you back to Atlanta and Rosemary Church for a look at the day's other news, including a stock market sell-off, prompted by a social media insult from Donald Trump, right after this break.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Donald Trump's feud with Fed Chair Jerome Powell and the lack of a trade deal with Japan are dragging down U.S. financial markets. The Dow, S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all tumbled about 2.5 percent on Monday, with no end in sight to the Trump trade war. The dollar slumped to its lowest level against foreign currencies in

more than three years. The President prompted the sell-off with a social media post directed at Powell, calling him a major loser who's been too slow to cut interest rates.

So let's go live now to Tokyo and CNN's Hanako Montgomery. U.S. stocks tumbled in response to Donald Trump's continuing attacks against Fed Chair Jerome Powell and in the absence of any trade deals. So how are stocks looking across Asia right now?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Rosemary, it's good to see you again too. Stocks across Asia were quite subdued on Tuesday following the major losses we saw on Wall Street on Monday and, of course, after the U.S. President Donald Trump made those comments about the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

As you just described there, Rosemary, Trump called Powell a major loser for not cutting interest rates, an issue that Trump has repeatedly pressed Powell on.

Now, Trump has even gone so far as to flirting with the idea of potentially ousting Powell from his current position. Now, legally, whether Trump can do that or not, whether he has the ability to remove Powell from his current position is another debate, another discussion altogether.

But, Rosemary, many trading partners in Asia are concerned about these latest comments coming from Trump because, of course, this is a huge issue and the fact that it's also the U.S. Federal Reserve is an independent body that helps shape the U.S. monetary policy. Economists have said that if the Federal Reserve does not have the independence that it's had in the past, that potentially prices might not be able to be as regulated as they were before.

Now, also, Rosemary, this comes just a few weeks after Trump's Liberation Day tariffs, these sweeping tariffs that we saw hit a number of the U.S.' major trading partners, especially here in Asia. Now, of course, those tariffs were paused for about 90 days except for China, but they're already having a major economic impact.

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For example, in South Korea, according to customs data released on Monday, exports to the U.S. were down by 14.3 percent within the first 20 days of April compared to data released last year. And overall, exports from South Korea were also down about 5.2 percent.

So, again, Rosemary, we're seeing already a pretty significant economic impact because of Trump's trade policies and the uncertainty that really comes with the ever-changing Trump trade policies.

Now, many of these countries, as you described, Japan, for example, are trying to meet with Trump, are trying to strike some kind of trade deal before that 90-day pause does lapse. But whether or not they'll be able to do that, well, we'll only be able to monitor.

But hopefully, for many of these countries, they will be able to strike some kind of deal. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Here we shall see. Hanako Montgomery in Tokyo. Many thanks for that report.

And for more on the death of Pope Francis, we want to head back to Rome and CNN's Isa Soares. Good morning to you, Isa.

SOARES: Good morning, Rosemary. As you see here the church bells toll in here, as Catholics gathering really to pay their respects to Pope Francis.

Catholics have been gathering in Buenos Aires too on Monday to celebrate the life as well as service of Pope Francis. He was a first of many. He was the first Latin American pope, and countries across the region have declared national days of mourning.

Flowers, candles, as well as thank you letters were left outside the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires in honor of the pope. Football badges were also among the mementos, a sign of the pontiff's love of the sport.

The Archbishop of Buenos Aires says the pontiff boldly faced the church's problems. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JORGE GARCIA CUEVA, ARCHBISHOP OF BUENO AIRES (through translator): He put on the table and didn't hide the need for transparency in the church, the need for reforms in the church that were longed for. Maybe for this reason he was so criticized because he didn't quiet the problems but put them on the table. He didn't hide them or make them up, but proposed humanity take charge of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: While CNN's Christopher Lamb recounts the pontiff's connection to Latin America and the legacy critically he leaves behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAM, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A pope from the ends of the earth.

Francis was the first Latin American pontiff, the first from Argentina. A native of Buenos Aires, much of his life spent in the Argentine capital shaping him as a future pope.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the grandson of Italian immigrants, he had an ordinary childhood growing up playing soccer, developing a love of literature and going to school to study chemistry.

In a memoir he writes he had a childhood infatuation with a little girl in Flores, the pope sending her a letter with a promise.

UNKNOWN (through translator): He said to me if I don't marry you I'll become a priest. LAMB (voice-over): Francis, true to his word, first training for the

priesthood and then joining the Jesuit order, quickly identified as a rising star. He was chosen to lead the Jesuits in Argentina at the young age of 36.

It was a time of turmoil in his country during the brutal military dictatorship. Bergoglio was accused of not doing enough to help two Jesuits kidnapped by the regime. He denied this and insisted he helped people escape.

But disagreements over his leadership style saw the Jesuits send Bergoglio into exile to this residence in Cordoba, central Argentina. He went through a dark night of the soul and later admitted to making many mistakes. A lesson in humility.

Eventually he was tapped to become a bishop and cardinal in Buenos Aires. He focused his time among the poorest communities.

OSCAR CRESPO, FRIEND OF POPE FRANCIS (through translator): He told me clearly, look I said I'm going to be a priest because my goal is to be at the service of the people. That's why I love going to the slums, that's why I'm going to the heart of the country.

LAMB (voice-over): Adopting a simple lifestyle similar to the one he had as pope, never owning a car and using the subway to get around. He wanted a church open to all and focused on those on the margins.

In the annual run-up to Easter he would often wash the feet of prisoners, something he continued as pontiff.

ELISABETTA PIQUE, POPE FRANCIS' BIOGRAPHER: His legacy is about this matter of a church open, a church inclusive, a church that is for all not of a little group of perfect people, but this is a pope who speaks to everybody and to speak especially to the people, to the sinners.

[03:50:02]

LAMB (voice-over): Despite his position, Francis tried not to take himself too seriously, loving to crack a joke, whether with world leaders or groups of children.

MARIA ELENA BERGOGLIO, SISTER OF POPE FRANCIS (through translator): He has a great sense of humor, I think he got that from my father. When he had to be firm for something he was, but with good humor.

LAMB (voice-over): But relations with his homeland weren't always easy. He never managed to visit home after becoming pope in 2013. He was unafraid to criticize those in power and wasn't always popular with Argentina's politicians.

The first Latin American pope chosen to lead the Catholic Church leaves a lasting impression. A pontiff who came from the ends of the earth and called on the church to go out to the peripheries. What he began in Argentina, he continued during his papacy.

Christopher Lamb, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And in the last few minutes, CNN confirms through the Vatican that many of the cardinals have started to meet at the Vatican. From what I understand from my earlier guests and a couple of fathers I've had on the show, this is more of a logistical meeting, it's not the conclave as of yet, we have to wait until the pope's funeral for that, but the cardinals have started to arrive at the Vatican. We'll stay across that for you.

Let me bring in Sister Virgo Offerens, the principal of the Holy Trinity Humanities School. She joins us live from Papua New Guinea.

Sister, I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. I understand that Pope Francis visited your school not so long ago, just give us your insights and read your reflections, Sister, of what that was like and what kind of leader he was in your eyes.

SISTER VIRGO OFFERENS, PRINCIPAL, HOLY TRINITY HUMANITIES SCHOOL: It was an incredible gift to us who are here in Papua New Guinea because he's the vicar of Christ, he's Jesus on earth for us, and so he showed such a great love and people here. He went to great -- and the people -- it's very hot, it has a lot of inconveniences and effort to come just a few months before he was --

(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES)

SOARES: Unfortunately, Sister, we are having trouble with your connection. We are going to try to fix the technicalities. Of course, your perspective is so important and we'll try to reconnect.

Sister Virgo Offerens, thank you very much.

Now, on a beach in India, stunning tribute to Pope Francis has been unveiled. Let me show you this.

Indian artist Surdasan Patnaik put the final touches on a towering sand sculpture measuring more than two meters tall, honoring the late leader of the Catholic Church. More than eight tons of sand were used to create the artwork which reads rest in peace, as you can see there, Pope Francis.

Thank you very much for joining us. I'm Isa Soares, in Rome. Be back next hour alongside my colleague Rahel Solomon for a special edition of "Early Start."

Do stay right here, you are watching CNN.

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[03:55:00]

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RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from the U.S. and all around the world. You are watching a special edition of "Early Start." I'm Rahel Solomon.

SOARES: And I'm Isa Soares. It is Tuesday, April 22nd, 4 a.m. if you're in New York and 10 a.m. right here in Rome where cardinals are gathering to make some major decisions one day after Pope Francis died of a stroke and heart failure.

Very good morning, everyone. It's 10 a.m. here in Rome, 10 a.m. at the Vatican. The cardinals are marking the first full day of the period between the death of the pope and the election of another.

Let me show you these images coming into CNN show Pope Francis lying in state as you can see there at the Vatican. The public is expected to be able to visit him at St. Peter's Basilica and pay their respects and that's expected to be as early as Wednesday.