Close menu

Learning English from the News

Upper intermediate level

Pope Francis dies

Episode 250423 / 23 Apr 2025

(Photo by Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

____________________________________________________________________________

Download a free worksheet!

____________________________________________________________________________

The story

Pope Francis died on Monday morning, aged 88, after leading the Roman Catholic Church for more than a decade.

His funeral will take place on Saturday and will be attended by leaders from around the world.

Pope Francis was the first non-European Pope in centuries and the first to come from the Americas.

His death now starts a political process for the Catholic Church to select a new leader. A group of the Catholic Church’s most senior officials – cardinals – will vote for a new Pope in an election known as a conclave.

News headlines

The Down-to-Earth Pope: Pope Francis Has Died at Eighty-eight
New Yorker

Crowds gather to pay respects to Pope Francis in Buenos Aires
Sky News

The Next Pope: Who Are The Frontrunners to Succeed Pope Francis?
News Week

Key words and phrases

down-to-earth
humble and modest 

  • The company’s CEO is very down-to-earth. He always asks me about my family.

pay respects
acknowledge and honour someone who has died

  • She laid flowers at her mother’s grave to pay her respects.

frontrunner
someone who is likely to win something like a competition or election

  • She’s the frontrunner in the presidential race – everyone thinks she’s going to win.

Next

If you like learning English from the news, click here.

تازه ترین Learning English from the News

دانلودها

دانلود فایل پی دی اف تمرین
دانلود فایل صوتی

پادکست

Learning English from the News