After the 2024 Oscar-winning blockbuster 'Conclave' got everyone talking about what would happen if the pope were to pass, Pope Francis fell ill, battled pneumonia for several weeks, mustered the energy to perform a blessing on Easter Sunday and died the very next day. The Brussels Times asked Catholics in Belgium how they felt about the pontiff's death.
Pope Francis died in Rome in the early hours of Easter Monday 2025. He was 88 years old and had served as leader of the Catholic Church since 2013. He was known for his relatively progressive approach to social issues, his outspoken stance on migration and his attempts to decentralise power in the holy institution he headed.
Philippe (67) and Tanya (60) are a married couple from Bruges who travelled to Brussels to light a candle in St. Michael & St. Gudula Cathedral on Easter Monday. "Other than that, we are not very Catholic," says Philippe. "We live by Christian values, trying to do good things for people," quips Tanya.
On the late Pope, her husband says "he was 88, he was at the end of the road, but what is incredible is that he appeared at the window of the Vatican just ten hours before his death [...] In Belgium, there are empty churches, there is a priest shortage and there are young people who no longer believe. But thanks to the Pope, Christianity has been brought back to life." He and his wife hope Pope Francis' successor will be younger than 60 and of non-European descent.
Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Pope Francis and King Philippe of Belgium pictured during a papal visit to the Royal Castle in Laeken on Friday 27 September 2024. Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem
'The Church needs to modernise'
Non-Belgian holidaymakers share these hopes for another progressive pontiff.
"Pope Francis was good; he was more open," says Laura (29) from Clermont-Ferrand, France. "Even yesterday or the day before, he made an announcement about Gaza, about Palestine; he tried to talk about the war. He did good deeds right until the end."
"I hope the next Pope follows the same trend," she adds. "The Church needs to modernise. It needs to be more present on social media, to be more informed, and to inform the world about peace and love."
St. Michael & St. Gudula Cathedral in 2022. Credit: Belga / James Arthur Gekiere
Wonderful memories and dashed hopes
Modesty (50) is a practising Catholic who lives in Brussels. She says the fact that the Pope's death coincided with Easter celebrations is "a good thing". "He still gave the blessing yesterday. That's very important for all Christians. And today, he's gone. The memory of that will remain something wonderful for me," she told The Brussels Times.
As for his successor, all Modesty wants is a Pope "who is good for Christians. The rest doesn't matter. We're not looking for perfection as long as he is humble, kind and listens to people."
Outside the same church, The Brussels Times speaks to Gregorio (59), a dual Belgian-Spanish national who is unable to work because of his residency status. His situation has pushed him to beg for money for the first time in his life. "I am not against the Pope, but I am not for him either," he says. "A Pope is like a king or a queen. There is always a different one but they don't actually do anything."
