Editor's Note: Pope Francis died on Monday April 21, 2025. This story was originally published in the Washington Examiner magazine on February 28, 2025. OBITUARY: POPE FRANCIS, LEADER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, DEAD AT 88 For approximately 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, Rome is the axis around which the entire cosmos turns. It is often said that the Catholic Church “thinks in centuries,” but when the life of the pope is in jeopardy, there is a feeling in Rome that every second necessitates contemplation. Pope Francis's battle with double pneumonia is the most serious health complication the pontiff has suffered since taking the Chair of St. Peter in 2013. As of this writing, his condition remains “critical but stable,” according to the press office of the Holy See. Vatican observers are checking on his prognosis hour...