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Pope Francis Funeral to Be Held Saturday; Cardinals from around the World Gather to Elect Francis' Successor; Argentina Mourns the First Latin American Pontiff; Palestinians Mourn Losing a Man of Peace; Bethlehem Lutheran Pastor on Pope's Impact on the Middle East; Hegseth Lashes Out; Francis' Legacy on LGBTQ+ Issues; Harvard Sues Trump Administration over Funding Freeze; Senior Church Leaders to Pick Next Pope during Conclave. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 22, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): And welcome to our second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson.
Time here is just after 6 pm.
These are live pictures of Vatican City, where the time is 4 pm. Pope Francis' coffin is currently at his Vatican residence, Casa Santa Marta,
until tomorrow. True to his personality, the pope said in his final testament that he wished for a simple funeral.
The pope's almost daily calls to the Christian community in Gaza were a welcome breath of faith for Palestinians. We bring you the regional
reaction to his passing.
And in the United States, head of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is caught in yet another Signal mixup. President Trump seems to be standing by him, at least
for now.
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ANDERSON: Well, we are seeing an outpouring of love and appreciation at the Vatican today. Visitors expressing their sadness at Pope Francis'
passing, trying to put into words what the pontiff meant to them. One woman from France saying Francis symbolized the hope of love and fraternity.
And as the world gears up for the papal funeral on Saturday, tributes also pouring in from around the globe. The archbishop of New York, speaking to
CNN about the pope's down to Earth nature and accessibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: It's like the world was sitting next to him on the front porch, listening to your grandpa sharing
wisdom because he's been through it all.
And he's aware of God's design and God's will and wants to share that wisdom with us. That's what he was. And that's I think that's going to be
essential. We got to keep that in the man who occupies the chair of Peter next.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, on Monday, emotional crowds gathered in Argentina for a special mass at Pope Francis' childhood church, where he is being
remembered for his outspoken advocacy for transparency and reform.
CNN's Cecilia Dominguez is in Buenos Aires covering reaction there for us. And Ben Wedeman back with us this hour from Rome.
Ben, let's just start with you. Pope Francis' coffin right now at his residence. Tomorrow, the public will get a chance to pay their respects.
Just take us through the events at the Vatican in the coming days.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we understand, Becky, that at 9:00 tomorrow morning, the coffin containing the body of
Pope Francis will be moved from the chapel in Casa Santa Marta, the guesthouse of the Vatican.
There will be a procession to St. Peter's Basilica, where that coffin and his body will lie in state over the coming days. And that is when the
public will be able to enter the Basilica and walk by that coffin.
We expect thousands and thousands of people. This is sort of the beginning of the high season for tourism. So there are already lots of people here.
It's the jubilee year, so millions of extra tourists were expected.
So it's going to be a very crowded and very busy Basilica until the funeral that takes place at 10:00, 10:00 on Saturday morning, in the Square of St.
Peter, right behind me. Now on Wednesday evening at 5 pm local time, there is going to be a congregation of cardinals. It's the cardinals who decide
who is going to be the successor to Pope Francis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (voice-over): One of the top candidates to succeed Francis is the man who served as his second in command, the current Vatican secretary of
state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
From visiting war-torn Ukraine to brokering a deal that saw the Holy Sea meant ties with China. The 70-year-old Italian is seen as a skilled
diplomat and a conciliatory figure who could appeal to both conservatives and progressives.
His election, however, could lead to clashes with the Trump administration as he has rebuked the U.S. president's Gaza Plan.
Another top contender is Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A strong defender of democracy and human
rights, Ambongo has been cardinal since 2019.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARDINAL FRIDOLIN AMBONGO BESUNGU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (voice- over): I am happy. I'm aware of the responsibility this appointment brings.
WEDEMAN: That responsibility has seen him stand up to warlords and corrupt leaders becoming a respected moral voice. The 65-year-old is also the
leader of a massive local church of more than 7 million people and represents the growing church in Africa.
A surprise candidate may be Cardinal Robert Prevost from the United States. America's global influence has made electors shy away from choosing a U.S.
pope in the past but the 69-year-old from Chicago spent many years working in Peru before leading the powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments
and he shouldn't be ruled out.
The top contender though may hail from one of the corners of the globe where the church has been growing and few Cardinals are as charismatic as
Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines, often dubbed the Asian Francis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that Jesus is alive and he was born in the minister, he died and rose from the dead in Asia,
WEDEMAN: The 67-year old led the church's charitable arm as well as the Vatican Department of Evangelization. And he may be well- positioned as the
church pivots toward parts of the world where it's expanding.
Still, it's impossible to say which, if any of these candidates will be chosen. If there's anything we can glean from past conclaves, it's that,
usually, the favorites don't get picked.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: And, of course, a perfect example of that, Becky, is when you and I were here on the 13th of March, 2013, when we saw the white smoke from
it, coming from the Sistine Chapel, where the final vote of the Conclave took place.
People ran up to the St. Peter's Square to hear the name of the person who had been elected pope. And when we heard Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina,
many people simply didn't know who he was, apart from, of course, the veteran Vaticanisti.
He was somebody who was not considered papabile -- popeable. And I think we can expect perhaps similar surprises when the Conclave finally concludes
with another puff of white smoke. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes. It's good to have you. Ben. Thank you.
Ben Wedeman is in St. Peter's Square.
Cecilia, you're in Buenos Aires. Multiple special masses being celebrated there and around the home country of Pope Francis. Just walk us through
what's happening where you are.
CECILIA DOMINGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, before telling you what's happening at the cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires,
just wanted to tell you that we have just learned that president Javier Milei has confirmed that he is traveling to Rome, to the funeral of Pope
Francis.
He's traveling next Thursday night with part of his cabinet. He was just confirmed. So he is going to be there at the funeral.
But what's happening at the cathedral?
We've been working here for all the morning, for all morning. And we've seen so many people coming here. This is the entrance of the cathedral,
where you can see that many people have gathered to bring flowers, to bring pictures.
And it's a kind of memorial site that mourners have built during the these hours with, as I said, flowers, candles and also football badges. And this
is important because Pope Francis used to say, he used to tell in every interview he gave that he was a very -- he was a football fan.
San Lorenzo was the team he used to support. And San Lorenzo, the football club, is organizing a mass, is holding is holding a mass next Wednesday
afternoon to honor his legacy, to pay tribute to Pope Francis.
And it's a way to acknowledge what he did as a fan, as a football fan. San Lorenzo was part of his life. So they are trying to honor him today at the
cathedral at 4:00. They have organized. That's what they told us in the morning. They have organized a interreligious encounter to pray for Pope
Francis. And after that 1.5 hours.
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After that, mass is going to be held, presided over by the archbishop of the city of Buenos Aires.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Cecilia. Thank you.
Well, in his final testament, Pope Francis said he wanted to be buried in a simple tomb in a basilica which held great personal significance for him.
Nic Robertson with the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): As he lived, so Pope Francis wants to be remembered in death with a relatively
modest funeral. The pontiff picked his burial site two years ago. Wants a simple earthen grave.
POPE FRANCIS, PONTIFF, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): (through text translation): The place is already prepared. I want to be
buried in Santa Maria Maggoire.
ROBERTSON: More than 1500 years old. The Papal Basilica Santa Maria
Maggiore, sometimes known as Our Lady of the Snows, is a humbler pick than the traditional resting place of many Popes. The gilded St. Peter's
Basilica. Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore was big in Pope Francis' life. Before and after every overseas trip he'd visit the Salus Populi Romani, a
much venerated image of the blessed Virgin Mary.
The Vatican has just five to seven days to make the preparations before Francis' funeral must take place. And despite Francis' wish for a modest
sendoff, it is his humble characteristic that may make organizing his funeral even more challenging. His humility made him hugely popular.
His death may draw many to the Vatican over the coming four days. The pontiff is expected to first lay and rest in the Sistine Chapel, then the
Clementine Chapel for private visitations, before laying in state inside St. Peter's Basilica, where the public will be able to come pay their
respects.
The last pope's funeral, Benedict XVI, two years ago drew close to 200,000 mourners, was elaborate but as he died almost a decade after he abdicated,
comparisons are hard to make.
The last pope to die in office was Pope John Paul II in 2005. He had a very elaborate funeral. So many world leaders wanted to come. Nations were
limited to five places each. Italy and his native Poland granted rare exceptions. An estimated 300,000 people attended.
In St. Peter's Square 15 to 20 days from now the process of picking a new pope begins, known as the Conclave of Cardinals. 120 of the church's 252
cardinals convenes in private. They remain isolated until Francis' successor is agreed. It may take almost two weeks.
White smoke will signal success a new pope is announced -- Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, here in the Middle East, mourning across the religious divide as Christian and Muslim Palestinians pay their respects to the pope.
Pope Francis called for an end to the war in Gaza and elsewhere in his final Easter address on Sunday. He was also in constant contact with Gaza's
Christian community until his death. Jeremy Diamond with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE FRANCIS: Yusuf (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Buenos dias (INAUDIBLE).
POPE FRANCIS: (Speaking Spanish).
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the last 18 months of his life, this was Pope Francis' nightly ritual. At 8 pm, a call
to wartorn Gaza.
POPE FRANCIS: (Speaking Spanish).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Spanish).
POPE FRANCIS: (Speaking Spanish).
DIAMOND (voice-over): From the third day of the war until two days before his death, Pope Francis spoke nightly with the Holy Family Church, forging
a special wartime bond that priests and parishioners of Gaza's only Catholic Church won't ever forget.
REV. GABRIEL ROMANELLI, PARISH PRIEST, HOLY FAMILY CHURCH: Daily, he called us and then to us to ask for peace, to pray for peace and to give
the blessing for all Gazan people and for all the Palestinians.
DIAMOND (voice-over): "He spoke to us with a father's anxiety for his children," church leader George Anton recalled.
"He would reassure us, checking if we had eaten, if we had something to drink."
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"If we had medicine, how the children were feeling, how the mothers were coping."
The relationship drew the pope closer to the plight of Gaza's civilian population and informed his outspoken criticism of Israel's attacks.
"Yesterday, children were bombed," the pope decried in December.
"This is cruelty. This is not war. I want to say this because it touched my heart."
The pope also regularly called out rising anti-Semitism and demanded the release of Israeli hostages, including in his final address on Easter
Sunday, in which he called for a ceasefire one last time.
Inside Gaza's Holy Family Church, one of the many communities Pope Francis touched, gathers to pray for his soul and for the world to see them as
Francis did.
"My message to the world is to look at Gaza with the same eyes through which Pope Francis viewed it, eyes of truth, justice, peace, love; eyes
that saw the people of Gaza as deserving of life, with dignity, justice and independence."
From this small church in Gaza, a prayer against the scourge of indifference, which Pope Francis called the greatest sickness of our time -
- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, in 2014, the pope made an unscheduled stop at the West Bank security wall in Bethlehem. Referencing that moment, Bethlehem
Evangelical Lutheran pastor, the Reverend Dr. Munther Isaac, posted this, saying, quote, "The pope left our world today.
"And the occupation and the wall remain. Even worse, he left our world while a genocide continues to unfold.
"Today, I wonder, will the millions who will mourn his death these coming days respect this wish of his?
"Will they care for Gazans and Palestinians the way that he did?"
And the Reverend Dr. Isaac joins us now from Bethlehem.
Sir, thank you for joining us. It's a day today where so many around the world are reflecting on the pope's legacy. Pope Francis was very beloved in
Gaza and by Palestinians across the region. As we mentioned, he spoke on an almost daily basis to the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza.
How are Palestinians responding to the news of his death?
REV. DR. MUNTHER ISAAC, VICAR, EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHRISTMAS CHURCH, BETHLEHEM: We're sad. Everyone is. You know it's a great loss, not just to
the Christian world. I believe it's a great loss to our humanity.
Pope Francis was a beautiful soul, a very genuine man of faith, who understood and showed us by example, not just by words, that true faith
leads to compassion, to seeing the humanity of everyone, seeing the image of God and everyone to genuinely caring.
I mean, the fact that he used to call almost on a daily basis shows that this was not a stunt. This was not something for publicity, just to show
that he cared. But this was truly a reflection of who he is.
He genuinely cared. He was very beloved in Palestine, as I believe he was also beloved in many other places around the world, especially places of
poverty, of oppression, of marginalization.
Because I think Pope Francis again embodied this spirit of solidarity with the marginalized, a spirit that I think many maybe people of faith, many
theologians articulate in words. But he articulated in deed, in gestures, in his physical presence, in his daily call to the people of Gaza and in
his strong calling for a ceasefire.
ANDERSON: And you will hope that the next pope will have this sort of level of relationship with Palestinians, I assume.
ISAAC: Yes, with Palestinians and with all places of injustice that he would speak for the plights of the oppressed.
I think what set Pope Francis apart is that he went beyond the typical pray for peace language of many faith leaders. And I really hope that we all
follow in his example, not just the coming pope.
And we're definitely going to accompany the Catholic Church in prayer as they choose the next one.
But at the same time, I hope many of us follow in his footsteps in speaking truth to power and using the right words to describe the things on the
ground, words as he described it -- terror, cruelty; calling for an investigation as to whether there is a genocide or not and so on.
I think this is what many people of faith from all religions need to do if we really want to see our world in a better place.
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ANDERSON: Very few people around this region will ever forget when Pope Francis in 2014 -- and I covered this historic trip to the Middle East --
that he made to Amman, to the West Bank, Palestine and Israel.
When he stopped, his car, went down, stepped down and prayed at the concrete barrier that separates the West Bank from the occupied West Bank,
from Israel.
How significant was that moment?
ISAAC: It's hard to put it in words, because first you have to understand the psychological impact of the separation wall on the lives of
Palestinians. It's a concrete and ugly barrier that gives the impression of living in an open air prison.
But it also gives the impression that we are forgotten. We are on the other side of the wall, as if we don't belong. We are marginalized.
And for Pope Francis to see that, to recognize that, I think he touched the ugliness of separation of apartheid. But he also touched our hearts and
showed us, indeed, that he saw us, that he understood our pain, our suffering, that he understood what it means to be on the other side of the
wall in a place of marginalization.
I think the prayer he said touched so many of us toward that recognition, especially when you feel completely forgotten and isolated.
Please remember that Palestinian Christians in particular feel, as you know, we always feel like we're forgotten. We are an ignored community. You
look at many Christians in the West and their unconditional support to Israel.
And we wonder, do they even see us?
Do they recognize us?
Do they recognize our daily suffering?
And for him not just to visit and do the prayer in the Nativity Church, which is very common to church leaders, to come two or three hours, the
pilgrimage routine, pray at the Nativity Church and leave. But for him to stop, recognize the war, recognize the suffering, I think that was huge --
(CROSSTALK)
ISAAC: -- for us.
ANDERSON: Christian Palestinians have been hugely impacted by the conflict since 2023, October the 7th, of course. Shortly after the start of this
current conflict, an Israeli missile slammed into an orthodox church compound in Gaza, where hundreds of Christians were sheltering.
Many were killed, including children. And in your book you wrote -- and I just want our viewers to hear this -- you wrote, quote, "God did not
listen, it seems. God did not protect those beloved people in the ways that we prayed."
Eighteen months into this conflict, how hard is it to keep up the faith?
ISAAC: I can't deny it's very hard, I'll be honest. But this is when faith is tested. More importantly, this is when faith is needed because, without
faith, we despair. It's a struggle to keep the faith.
And one of the things I kept repeating in my preaching throughout the world is that they can take away everything from us. They can destroy our homes,
take the land but they cannot take faith from us.
And the amazing thing about that -- and this is why I said in that sermon, when I said, where is God?
It seems he did not listen. In a mysterious way, we look at God in the Bible and we find that he, too, is the victim of violence; the violence of
empire, the violence of the occupation. Jesus was killed on the cross as a victim of, you know, the violence of the occupation force of that time, the
Roman Empire.
And so, in a very mysterious way, we see even the son of God, Jesus, in his life, identifying with us in our pain, in our suffering, as the victim of
that very same violence we live under.
ANDERSON: And your church shared this image of a baby Jesus wrapped in the iconic Palestinian keffiyeh scarf in rubble during Christmas time.
Can you just very briefly tell me more about this moment?
ISAAC: This was my attempt to show pastorally the -- or illustrate the principle of the solidarity of God with the marginalized and the oppressed,
remembering that Jesus was born under occupation.
Where was God when we suffer?
I said, God is under the rubble in Gaza. He's in the hospital. He's in the operation room.
And so when we thought about the meaning of Christmas, Jesus being born among the marginalized, the oppressed, we thought of this image of placing
Jesus under the rubble, again, to convey that.
This is how we understood the message of Christmas, the solidarity of God with the marginalized and the oppressed. But moreover -- and I think to
bring it back to the legacy of Pope Francis -- in a time when the world was justifying and, to be honest, continues to justify and rationalize the
killing of Palestinian children in Gaza.
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I insisted that we see the image of God in every child pulled from under the rubble. For every life is precious. And this was our message to the
world, that these children are precious in the sight of God.
ANDERSON: So it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
ISAAC: Thank you for having me.
ANDERSON: A pope who fought for reforms to the Catholic Church, a further look at the legacy of Pope Francis is coming up.
Plus, it's deja vu for the Pentagon's top official as Pete Hegseth finds himself denying sharing any classified military information in a group chat
-- again. What he is saying about the new controversy is just ahead.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
The White House is denying a report that it is looking to replace the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, amid what is a new Signal chat scandal.
President Trump publicly standing by him, saying the Pentagon chief is, quote, "doing a great job."
Now this is all stemming from allegations that Hegseth shared military plans to strike Houthis in Yemen.
In a group chat that included his brother and his wife, this is on top of what we've reported over the past month or so, the original Signalgate
saga. Hegseth is pushing back, denying that he shared classified information while slamming Pentagon advisers, who were just fired amid a
leak investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: What was shared over Signal, then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified
coordination for media coordination and other things.
In this point, those folks who were leaking, who have been pushed out of the building, are now attempting to leak and sabotage the president's
agenda and what we're doing. And that's unfortunate. It is not what I do, it's not how we operate. And so you've got another allegation being pushed
again, not based on how we're operating around here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Hegseth on FOX News; used to work for them, of course. For more on this, I want to bring in our politics senior reporter, Stephen
Collinson, a good friend of the show.
Always good to have you on. Thank you.
President Trump defending Hegseth publicly at least, Stephen.
Is he, Hegseth, safe at this point?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think he's safe only because, if the president were to fire him, it would involve the president
admitting that he'd made a mistake.
That clip he showed of Hegseth there was very interesting because it's hardly the profile that you expect of an American Defense Secretary,
someone who's in charge with the world's most lethal military.
And what Hegseth is doing with some of his conduct is validating the concerns that many of the Republican senators who confirmed him actually
had about him when he was named.
[10:30:10]
But right now, the president is standing firm. He's characterizing this as a battle between himself and the swamp, like people of the establishment
and the media. Listen to what he said in the White House Rose Garden about Hegseth on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Mr. President, are you concerned about the level of chaos and dysfunction that's being described at your Pentagon?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's no dysfunction. Ask the Houthis how much dysfunction they have. There's none. Pete's doing a
great job. Everybody's happy with him.
We have the highest recruitment numbers I think they've had in 28 years. No, he's doing a great job. It's just fake news. They just bring up
stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people and that's what he's doing. So you
don't always have friends when you do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINSON: Right. So the president is basically saying that Hegseth is the victim of people who want to thwart the agenda. The problem is that the
people that Hegseth is accusing of leaking are people he appointed himself. They're not liberals or Democrats.
These are hardline America First Republicans, who he brought into the Pentagon and now has fired because they apparently have been saying that
his leadership is causing disarray.
So it's a real mess. The head of the U.S. military, at a time when, you know, the world is a very unstable place and you would think that's the
last thing a president would want.
ANDERSON: Yes, the U.S. military, of course, one of the biggest organizations in the world.
Is everybody happy with him, as Trump suggests, in Trump's inner circle?
Is that clear at this point?
COLLINSON: I don't think it's clear. But in this administration, more so than the first one, there are many fewer people who would raise concerns
about Hegseth. Everyone pretty much is on the same ideological page as Trump.
Trump picked him because he was ready to go to the Pentagon and enact his "anti-woke" -- in inverted commas -- agenda to drive out generals and
officials who had promoted diversity, racial diversity, for example. So that's why he picked him.
And in many ways, that histrionic performance that you saw on FOX News, that was another reason, because Trump likes people who mirror his own
aggressive tendencies.
Now if we get more stories coming out, of disarray, of sharing classified information or sensitive information on WhatsApp-like groups, I think there
becomes a drip, drip, drip going on, in which Hegseth becomes perhaps an embarrassment to the administration.
If there were, for example some big military disaster that could be traced back to poor Pentagon leadership, I think then he would be vulnerable.
And, you know, Trump can be fairly capricious. He demands total loyalty from those who serve him. But that is a one-way street in many ways. So
people have Trump's loyalty and he has -- he gives backing to his cabinet officials, right up to the moment when he doesn't back them anymore.
ANDERSON: Stephen Collinson, always good to have you in the house. Thank you, sir.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
When we come back, a look at the pope's truly revolutionary legacy in supporting the LGBTQ community. Plus his position on climate change and how
he pushed world leaders to take action.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. Time here is 25 to 7:00. Here are your headlines this hour.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the military plans he shared in a group chat with his wife and brother were not classified information.
This after U.S. president Trump says he's standing by the Pentagon chief amid the new controversy, saying he is, quote, "doing a good job."
Harvard University is suing the Trump administration over academic freedom, frozen federal funding and campus oversight. Last week, the university
rejected a list of demands that Trump officials argue will fight antisemitism.
Harvard says it's committed to fighting antisemitism and accuses the administration, in turn, of trying to gain leverage over the school.
Well, cardinals from around the world are traveling to Rome to elect a successor for Pope Francis. The Conclave will happen after the pontiff's
funeral on Saturday and a period of mourning.
Pope Francis will be buried according to his wishes, in a simple tomb in Rome, outside the Vatican.
Well, his legacy, he leaves behind a legacy of breaking boundaries. Born in Buenos Aires, he was the first pontiff from the global south, the first
Jesuit to be chosen as the leader of the Catholic Church and the first pope to call himself Francis.
That name, a homage to Francis of Assisi, reflected his deep commitment to the poor and vulnerable, especially refugees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Well, in 2013, Francis made his first trip as pope to the island of Lampedusa, a popular gateway for migrants entering Europe.
These iconic images show him delivering mass on an altar made from recycled migrant boats, before denouncing what he called the globalization of
indifference toward refugees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Well, right through to his last days, his extraordinary rebuke of the Trump administration's immigration and
deportation policies will be remembered as a remarkable act in the final days of his papacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: One of the most revolutionary aspects of his leadership was how he welcomed in the LGBTQ community. CNN's Samantha Lindell spoke to an
openly gay Vatican adviser, who had been a victim of clerical abuse. And he told her about the pope's lasting impact.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUAN CARLOS CRUZ, GAY VATICAN ADVISER: Pope Francis had the guts and the courage to name things by their name, things that were forbidden to speak,
right, the abuse of priests, the coverup of bishops, of cardinals.
SAMANTHA LINDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim of clerical sexual abuse and an openly gay Vatican adviser,
remembers the time he spent three days with Pope Francis in 2018, during which the pope apologized to Cruz for, quote, "grave errors" in his
handling of a Chilean sex abuse scandal.
CRUZ: He really has made a difference, providing safe spaces and prevention. And now we're working on reparation, which is also very
important, if you ever can be repaired of this.
LINDELL (voice-over): Pope Francis established the church's first commission for the protection of minors in 2014. And in 2023, the pope
authorized blessings for same-sex couples less than two years before he died.
CRUZ: In 2018, he knew, obviously, that the cardinal in Chile, where I -- where I'm from, told the newspaper of Juan Carlos Cruz, "I don't think he's
a victim because he's gay. He might have liked it."
Imagine how that feels. And so it really hurt. But Pope Francis told me, Juan Carlos, the fact that you're gay doesn't matter. God loves you. God
made you like this. And the pope loves you. And you're fine. Don't worry.
With the LGBT community, I took some trans people to meet him.
[10:40:04]
And they told him the stories. And he was almost in tears.
LINDELL (voice-over): After his first meeting with Francis, Cruz shared a friendship with the head of the Catholic Church, meeting with the pope
every two weeks for a period of time.
CRUZ: I spent Christmas with him. We spent each other's birthdays together. We talked on the phone all the time. He said, the church belongs
to "todos, todos, todos," to "everyone, everyone, everyone." And that's how we need to remember him. And that's the message we need to continue.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And as we mark Earth Day today, we can't, shouldn't forget Pope Francis' advocacy for climate action. Over his 12 years as head of the
Catholic Church, he often raised the issue of manmade climate change, which he saw as fueled by human greed.
And he warned that destroying the Earth was a sin and urged world leaders to take action. Take a listen to him speaking at the White House back in
2015.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE FRANCIS: Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem we can no longer be left to a future
generation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, coming up, the legal showdown between America's most prestigious university and the Trump administration has reached an all-time
high after Harvard filed a new lawsuit. More on that after this.
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ANDERSON: After this, Mahmoud Khalil's newborn son, is spending his first days on Earth without meeting his dad after U.S. immigration authorities
denied a temporary release. His wife, Noor Abdalla, gave birth to their first child on Monday.
Khalil's lawyers sent an email asking for a two-week furlough, only to get a denial 30 minutes after the request was sent. Abdalla went into labor a
week earlier than expected.
She told CNN she, quote, "will continue to fight every day for Mahmoud to come home to us. I know when Mahmoud is freed," she said, "he will show our
son how to be brave, thoughtful and compassionate, just like his dad."
Well, in an escalating feud, Harvard University is now suing the Trump administration over academic freedom and its threats to cut billions in the
school's federal funding. This comes as Harvard has publicly rebuked demands from the White House to change key policies, which Trump officials
argue aim to combat antisemitism.
CNN's Matt Egan joining us from New York.
Matt, this legal showdown over frozen federal funds likely to take years to play out and could end up, of course, at the U.S. Supreme Court. Just
explain, if you will.
MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR WRITER: Yes. Becky, look, Harvard is fighting back, right?
[10:45:00]
And their position here is a simple one. They're arguing that this crackdown from the White House is unconstitutional and that it's
effectively an effort to control Harvard. And they're saying that this federal funding freeze, it's not just going to hurt Harvard; that it would
hurt the students, the faculty and, really, higher education at large.
Let me read you a key line from this lawsuit, where Harvard says that, "The government has ceased the flow of funds to Harvard as part of its pressure
campaign to force Harvard to submit to the government's control over its academic programs.
"That in itself violates Harvard's constitutional rights."
Now they go on to argue that the government has not and cannot identify an actual link between these overarching concerns about antisemitism and the
federal funding on scientific and medical research.
And so now we have this epic clash between America's oldest university and a president that has, who has certainly shown a willingness to really push
the boundaries.
And just to remind you of how we got here, earlier this month, the antisemitism task force that has been commissioned by the Trump
administration, they put out this list of demands to Harvard, including federal oversight over admissions and hiring.
Harvard rejected that demand letter. And then the Trump administration went on to freeze billions of dollars in funding. And now Harvard is filing
suit. And so, as you mentioned, this is a battle that could take months or even years to play out and ultimately could end up before the Supreme
Court. Becky.
ANDERSON: How's the Trump administration responding to this lawsuit?
EGAN: Well, Becky, they're standing by their efforts here.
The White House put out a statement last night, saying that "The gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard, which enrich
their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families, is coming to an end."
Their argument is essentially that these taxpayer funds are a privilege and that Harvard does not meet the standard required to enjoy that privilege.
Of course, that is something that Harvard rejects.
But what was interesting is that the Education Secretary, Lynda McMahon, she was on CNBC earlier today and she did signal an openness to a potential
deal here. She said that that list of demands was a negotiating letter.
And she flat-out said, we hope Harvard will come back to the table. So perhaps, Becky, we could ultimately see some negotiated settlement here.
And if not, then this could be a long running legal battle. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Thank you for that.
And we will be more right back with more news.
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ANDERSON: In the coming days, the most senior figures in the Catholic Church will make their way to the Vatican to prepare for what is known as
the Conclave. CNN's Nick Watt explains how it all works for you.
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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new pope to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics will be chosen by just around 130 cardinals in a
mysterious, many-centuries-old rite -- the Conclave -- conclave -- "with a key."
[10:50:10]
REV. THOMAS REESE, S.J. SENIOR ANALYST, RELIGION NEWS SERVICE: They're locked in the Vatican and all their phones are taken away. They're not
allowed to communicate with the outside world until they elect a vote.
WATT: Every cardinal under the age of 80 is summoned to Rome for this and must swear an oath of secrecy punishable by excommunication.
REESE: It's a secret ballot. The cardinals don't even know who voted for whom.
WATT: Father Reese says the movie "Conclave" got it almost right.
STANLEY TUCCI, ACTOR: You have to commit to a side.
WATT: Except a secretly elected cardinal would never be allowed in. And the cardinal's robes were slightly the wrong color.
REESE: I think Hollywood got it better than the Catholic Church. I like the deeper red.
WATT: By day the cardinals will sit in silence and prayer in the Sistine Chapel under Michelangelo's magnificent ceiling. Two votes in the morning,
two in the afternoon until one candidate wins two-thirds of the ballots. By night, they stay in a boarding house nearby where the horse trading happens
late into the evening.
REESE: Different cardinals will go around pushing for the candidate that they would like to see become pope. Your friends have to do that for you.
You cannot do that yourself. That would indicate a level of pride that would be unacceptable in a pope.
WATT: The pope just has to be male and Catholic but since 1389, the cardinals have always elected one of their own. After every inconclusive
round of votes, the smoke from the chapel chimney is Black.
Ballots are burned with some chemicals thrown into create the color. When a new pope is chosen, the smoke is white. At the last Conclave, there was a
problem.
REESE: The monsignor in charge of the stove didn't follow the directions and the smoke came out gray and everybody in St. Peter's Square was
scratching their heads.
WATT: So they rang the biggest bell in the square as well.
REESE: And as soon as you see it swinging, you know it's over.
WATT: The new pope chooses a name and is ushered to the Room of Tears. REESE: And in that room, they will have three sets of papal garments,
the white cassock that the pope wears, one small, one medium and one large.
WATT: For the new pope to wear when he walks out onto that famous balcony in St. Peter's Square.
So the Conclave will convene in just a little over two weeks from now.
How long they'll take?
Well, that's an open question. You know, back in the 1200s, they once took nearly three years. That was to elect Pope Gregory X. Recent years it's
more likely two or three days. That's going to become the norm.
Now the fact that there's no clear frontrunner, that might add a little time, something that might take away a little time, is 80 percent of these
electors, these cardinals, were appointed by Pope Francis.
So there's a decent chance they might be on a similar page. And remember, these cardinals are not just choosing the next pope. They're essentially
also choosing the direction that the church is going to take over the next few years -- Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
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ANDERSON: Well, you're watching us from CNN's Middle East headquarters, a region that is as moved by the pope's passing as any.
This the cover of the UAE's national newspaper today, as the world remembers Pope Francis.
I've been inspired to reflect on my own time covering his papacy.
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ANDERSON: You hear the cheers behind us?
The election of a new pope. We are now awaiting the ringing of the bells at St. Peter's Basilica. Here they go. You can hear those now.
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ANDERSON: Well, that, of course, was 2013. And at the time I couldn't have known quite what an impact his 12-year papacy would have on me personally.
And here's why.
His was a voice of peace across the Middle East. One of my first assignments after moving to the region full-time back in 2014 was reporting
on his historic trip to Jordan, Israel and the occupied West Bank.
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ANDERSON: Well, the pope closing out the first of the public events on this Holy Land tour in the Popemobile here at the stadium in Amman in
Jordan. He's flanked by security.
But this is a very, very modest man, as we all know. So he doesn't want a closed-in car. He's been shaking people's hands. He's been hugging
children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, five years later, Pope Francis' trip to Abu Dhabi was nothing short of groundbreaking. And not just because it was the first
papal trip ever to the Arabian Peninsula but for this one extraordinary moment.
[10:55:00]
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, signing the Document on Human Fraternity, a joint declaration,
urging peace and harmony amongst all people.
An appeal to, quote, "every upright conscience that rejects violence and blind extremism, an appeal to those who cherish the values of tolerance and
fraternity."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the UAE facilitated this historic agreement as part of its mission to be a model for tolerance and coexistence. The UAE ambassador to
the Holy See, Omar Ghobash, told me he believes it represents a key piece of Pope Francis' legacy in the Middle East.
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OMAR GHOBASH, UAE AMBASSADOR TO THE HOLY SEE: It is a recognition of universal human dignity. And it's something that we should always keep in
mind. And we should always recognize the dignity of others around us. So that's -- I think that's the, for me, the most important legacy that he
will have with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Well, there's perhaps no more visible expression of these values than the Abrahamic Family House here in Abu Dhabi; a church, a
mosque, a synagogue and a secular pavilion, standing shoulder to shoulder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
END
