Breaking News English Lesson: Pope Francis

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Pope Francis laid to rest at Vatican funeral (28th April 2025)

The Reading / Listening - Pope Francis - Level 6

Pope Francis has been laid to rest after a solemn ceremony in Rome. The funeral and procession were attended by more than 250,000 people. Many high-ranking church officials, royalty, heads of state, and foreign dignitaries paid their respects to the pontiff in the magnificent 16th-century St Peter's Basilica. The Vatican News website called the ceremony "moving, intense, and heartfelt". Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, aged 88, after serving as head of the Catholic Church for 12 years. Francis was the first Pope from South America. A Catholic Church cardinal said the outpouring of affection in the Vatican streets "tells us how much Pope Francis touched minds and hearts".

Pope Francis was a hugely popular pontiff. He was seen as a man who did his utmost to bring people together. Cardinal Re told mourners that the late Pope had a deep commitment to the plight of migrants and to world peace. Cardinal Re said Francis had constantly urged people to "build bridges, not walls". Francis was always outspoken in his criticism of war. He continually urged leaders to end conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar. Francis will also be remembered for his calls for greater inclusivity. He gave his conditional blessing of same-sex couples. He also recognized transgender and LGBTQ+ issues, even though this brought criticism from conservatives.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Pope Francis - Level 4 or Pope Francis - Level 5

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8x8w4xk1gno
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/26/pilgrims-powerful-come-together-pope-francis-funeral
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/the-farewell-to-pope-francis-and-gospel-pages-turning-in-wind.html

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. POPE FRANCIS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Pope Francis. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
solemn / ceremony / funeral / procession / royalty / paying respects / Pope / affection
popular / mourners / migrants / building bridges / war / same-sex couples / LGBTQ+
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. RELIGIOUS LEADERS: Students A strongly believe religious leaders are better than political leaders; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. RELIGIONS: What do you know about these religions? What do you want to know? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	What I Know	What I Want to Know
Christianity
Islam
Buddhism
Sikhism
Judaism
Hinduism

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. PEACE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "peace". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. LEADERS: Rank these with your partner. Put the most important leaders at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

Political leaders
Religious leaders
National leaders
Military leaders
Civic leaders
Civil rights leaders
Business leaders
Team leaders

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	laid to rest	a.	Kings, queens, princes, and princesses.
2.	solemn	b.	Very beautiful or very good.
3.	royalty	c.	When a person who has died is buried in the ground.
4.	dignitaries	d.	Very serious and quiet.
5.	paid their respects	e.	Important people, like leaders or officials.
6.	magnificent	f.	Showed they cared about or said goodbye to someone who died.
7.	outpouring	g.	A lot of feelings shown at once.

Paragraph 2

8.	pontiff	h.	A very bad or difficult situation.
9.	utmost	i.	Another word for the Pope (the head of the Catholic Church).
10.	mourners	j.	When you promise to do something and work hard at it.
11.	commitment	k.	Not afraid to say what you think, especially it it is shocking or controversial.
12.	plight	l.	The best or most you can do.
13.	outspoken	m.	When everyone is welcome and included.
14.	inclusivity	n.	People who are very sad because someone has died

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

Over a quarter of a million people were at Pope Francis' funeral. T / F
The St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican was built in the 1500s. T / F
Pope Francis passed away on Easter Sunday. T / F
Pope Francis is the only Pope ever to come from South America. T / F
Pope Francis used to be builder and helped design and build bridges. T / F
Pope Francis rarely spoke about war. T / F
Pope Francis was opposed to same-sex couples. T / F
Pope Francis' views on LGBTQ+ issues were popular with conservatives. T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

laid to rest
solemn
dignitaries
moving
affection
utmost
late
plight
blessing
criticism

deceased
VIPs
love
disapproval
dignified
difficult condition
buried
support
touching
best

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

Francis has been laid to rest after a
many high-ranking church
heads
paid their
the outpouring
a man who did his utmost to
a deep commitment to the plight of
Francis was always
remembered for his calls for greater
He also recognized transgender and

bring people together
respects to the pontiff
LGBTQ+ issues
migrants
officials
inclusivity
of affection
solemn ceremony in Rome
outspoken
of state

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

heartfelt
procession
touched
solemn
outpouring
dignitaries
serving
magnificent

Pope Francis has been laid to rest after a (1) _________________________________ ceremony in Rome. The funeral and (2) _________________________________ were attended by more than 250,000 people. Many high-ranking church officials, royalty, heads of state, and foreign (3) _________________________________ paid their respects to the pontiff in the (4) _________________________________ 16th-century St Peter's Basilica. The Vatican News website called the ceremony "moving, intense, and (5) _________________________________". Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, aged 88, after (6) _________________________________ as head of the Catholic Church for 12 years. Francis was the first Pope from South America. A Catholic Church cardinal said the (7) _________________________________ of affection in the Vatican streets "tells us how much Pope Francis (8) _________________________________ minds and hearts".

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

inclusivity
constantly
utmost
couples
hugely
brought
criticism
plight

Pope Francis was a (9) _________________________________ popular pontiff. He was seen as a man who did his (10) _________________________________ to bring people together. Cardinal Re told mourners that the late Pope had a deep commitment to the (11) _________________________________ of migrants and to world peace. Cardinal Re said Francis had (12) _________________________________ urged people to "build bridges, not walls". Francis was always outspoken in his (13) _________________________________ of war. He continually urged leaders to end conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar. Francis will also be remembered for his calls for greater (14) _________________________________. He gave his conditional blessing of same-sex (15) _________________________________. He also recognized transgender and LGBTQ+ issues, even though this (16) _________________________________ criticism from conservatives.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) Pope Francis has been laid to rest after a solemn ______
     a. ceremonial in Rome
     b. ceremony in Rome
     c. serenade in Rome
     d. ceremonies in Rome
2) Many high-ranking church officials, royalty, heads of state, ______
     a. and foreign dignitary
     b. and foreign dignities
     c. and foreign indignities
     d. and foreign dignitaries
3) The Vatican News website called the ceremony "moving, ______"
     a. intense, and heartbeat
     b. intense, and heart heat
     c. intense, and hearty felt
     d. intense, and heartfelt
4) A Catholic Church cardinal said the ______
     a. outpouring of affliction
     b. outpouring of affection
     c. outpouring of affecting
     d. outpouring of a fraction
5) in the Vatican streets tells us how much Pope Francis touched ______
     a. minds end hearts
     b. mind and hearts
     c. minds and hearts
     d. minds and heart

6) Pope Francis was a hugely popular pontiff. He was seen as a man who ______
     a. did his utmost
     b. did his at most
     c. did his uppermost
     d. did his at mast
7) told mourners that the late Pope had a deep commitment to the ______
     a. blight of migrants
     b. plight of migrants
     c. flight of migrants
     d. slight of migrants
8) Francis will also be remembered for his calls ______
     a. for grater inclusivity
     b. for greater diversity
     c. for grater inclusive
     d. for greater inclusivity
9) He gave his conditional blessing of ______
     a. same-sex couplets
     b. some-sex couples
     c. same-sex couples
     d. some-sex couplets
10) He also recognized transgender ______
     a. and LGBTQ+ reissues
     b. and LGBTQ+ wishes
     c. and LGBTQ+ issues
     d. and LGBTQ+ wishers

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Pope Francis has been laid to rest after (1) _______________________________________________ in Rome. The funeral and procession were attended by more than 250,000 people. Many (2) _______________________________________________ officials, royalty, heads of state, and foreign dignitaries (3) _______________________________________________ to the pontiff in the magnificent 16th-century St Peter's Basilica. The Vatican News website called the ceremony "moving, (4) _______________________________________________". Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, aged 88, after serving as head of the Catholic Church for 12 years. Francis was the first Pope from South America. A Catholic Church cardinal said the (5) _______________________________________________ in the Vatican streets "tells us how much Pope Francis (6) _______________________________________________ hearts".

Pope Francis was a (7) _______________________________________________. He was seen as a man who did his utmost to bring people together. Cardinal Re told mourners that the late Pope had a deep commitment to the (8) ______________________________________________ and to world peace. Cardinal Re said Francis had constantly urged people to "build bridges, not walls". Francis was (9) _______________________________________________ his criticism of war. He continually urged leaders to end conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar. Francis will also be remembered for his calls (10) _______________________________________________. He gave his conditional blessing of same-sex couples. He also (11) _______________________________________________ LGBTQ+ issues, even though this (12) _______________________________________________ conservatives.

Comprehension questions

How many people attended Pope Francis' funeral and procession?
When was the St Peter's Basilica built?
Who called the ceremony "moving, intense, and heartfelt"?
How many Popes have there been from South America?
What did a cardinal say Pope Francis touched?
What did Pope Francis bring together?
Who was Pope Francis concerned about the plight of?
What was Pope Francis outspoken about?
What think did Pope Francis want there to be more of?
Who criticized Pope Francis' views on LGBTQ+ issues?

Multiple choice quiz

1) How many people attended Pope Francis' funeral and procession?
a) 250,000
b) more than a quarter of a million
c) a half a million
d) 2,500,000
2) When was the St Peter's Basilica built?
a) in the early 1600s
b) in the late 1600s
c) in the 16th century
d) in the 1400s
3) Who called the ceremony "moving, intense, and heartfelt"?
a) a priest
b) a cardinal
c) a mourner in the Vatican
d) the Vatican News website
4) How many Popes have there been from South America?
a) two
b) one
c) four
d) many
5) What did a cardinal say Pope Francis touched?
a) people's minds and hearts
b) people's nerves
c) the world
d) a sacred rock

6) What did Pope Francis bring together?
a) people
b) nations
c) religions
d) beliefs
7) Who was Pope Francis concerned about the plight of?
a) children
b) priests
c) everyone in the world
d) migrants
8) What was Pope Francis outspoken about?
a) prayer
b) religion
c) war
d) same-sex couples
9) What think did Pope Francis want there to be more of?
a) prayer
b) blessings
c) churches
d) inclusivity
10) Who criticized Pope Francis' views on LGBTQ+ issues?
a) newspapers
b) conservatives
c) people on social media
d) priests and cardinals

Role play

Role A – Religious Leaders
You think religious leaders are best. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their leaders. Also, tell the others which are the least important of these (and why): political leaders, business leaders or military leaders.

Role B – Political Leaders
You think political leaders are best. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their leaders. Also, tell the others which are the least important of these (and why): religious leaders, business leaders or military leaders.

Role C – Business Leaders
You think business leaders are best. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their leaders. Also, tell the others which are the least important of these (and why): political leaders, religious leaders or military leaders.

Role D – Military Leaders
You think military leaders are best. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their leaders. Also, tell the others which are the least important of these (and why): political leaders, business leaders or religious leaders.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'funeral'

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'ceremony'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• Share your findings with your partners.

• Make questions using the words you found.

• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

•Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

solemn

heads

paid

website

after

outpouring

utmost

late

walls

calls

same

though

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion - Pope Francis

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

What did you think when you read the headline?
What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'Pope'?
What do you know about Pope Francis?
Who is the world's greatest religious leader?
How important are religious leaders?
What good did Pope Francis do for the world?
What do you know about the Catholic Church?
Why do people stick to one religion?
How religious are you?
Who has touched your heart and mind?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
What do you think of when you hear the word 'funeral'?
What do you think about what you read?
Who in the world can bring people together?
How can the world help migrants?
What can we do to achieve peace in the world?
Where should the next Pope come from?
How can we create more inclusivity in the world?
What LGBTQ+ issues need to be addressed?
What questions would you like to ask an expert on Pope Francis?

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

Pope Francis has been laid to rest after a (1) ____ ceremony in Rome. The funeral and procession were attended by more than 250,000 people. Many high-(2) ____ church officials, royalty, heads of state, and foreign dignitaries (3) ____ their respects to the pontiff in the magnificent 16th-century St Peter's Basilica. The Vatican News website called the ceremony "moving, (4) ____, and heartfelt". Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, aged 88, after serving as head of the Catholic Church for 12 years. Francis was the first Pope from South America. A Catholic Church cardinal said the (5) ____ of affection in the Vatican streets "tells us how much Pope Francis touched (6) ____ and hearts".

Pope Francis was a hugely popular pontiff. He was seen as a man who did his (7) ____ to bring people together. Cardinal Re told mourners that the late Pope had a deep commitment to the (8) ____ of migrants and to world peace. Cardinal Re said Francis had constantly urged people to "build bridges, not walls". Francis was always (9) ____ in his criticism of war. He continually urged leaders to end conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar. Francis will also be remembered (10) ____ his calls for greater inclusivity. He gave his conditional blessing (11) ____ same-sex couples. He also recognized transgender and LGBTQ+ issues, even though this (12) ____ criticism from conservatives.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) column (b) condemn (c) solemn (d) hymn
(a) ranking (b) linking (c) banking (d) thanking
(a) bought (b) paid (c) spent (d) purchased
(a) intern (b) traverse (c) terse (d) intense
(a) appearing (b) pairing (c) outpouring (d) paring
(a) brains (b) minds (c) spirits (d) lungs
(a) utmost (b) uppermost (c) almost (d) southernmost
(a) blight (b) flight (c) slight (d) plight
(a) outer (b) outpaced (c) outspoken (d) outing
(a) at (b) to (c) as (d) for
(a) to (b) of (c) at (d) on
(a) brought (b) took (c) came (d) was

Spelling

Paragraph 1

laid to rest after a solemn mcenroey
The funeral and sosicnoper
foreign giredisanti
the nimegacfitn 16th-century St Peter's Basilica
A Catholic Church anldciar
the guitnoporu of affection

Paragraph 2

Pope Francis was a hugely popular fpitnof
Cardinal Re told ernousmr that
a deep commitment to the thgilp of migrants
Francis was always nkeootpus
his calls for greater vityisicnul
this brought iticsicrm from conservatives

Put the text back together

(    )    16th-century St Peter's Basilica. The Vatican News website called the ceremony "moving, intense, and
(    )    and LGBTQ+ issues, even though this brought criticism from conservatives.
(    )    by more than 250,000 people. Many high-ranking church officials, royalty, heads
(    )    conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar. Francis will also be remembered for his calls for greater
(    )    heartfelt". Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, aged 88, after serving as head
(    )    inclusivity. He gave his conditional blessing of same-sex couples. He also recognized transgender
(    )    migrants and to world peace. Cardinal Re said Francis had constantly urged people to "build bridges,
(    )    not walls". Francis was always outspoken in his criticism of war. He continually urged leaders to end
(    )    of state, and foreign dignitaries paid their respects to the pontiff in the magnificent
(    )    of the Catholic Church for 12 years. Francis was the first Pope from South America. A Catholic Church cardinal
( 1 )    Pope Francis has been laid to rest after a solemn ceremony in Rome. The funeral and procession were attended
(    )    Pope Francis was a hugely popular pontiff. He was seen as a man who did his
(    )    said the outpouring of affection in the Vatican streets "tells us how much Pope Francis touched minds and hearts".
(    )    utmost to bring people together. Cardinal Re told mourners that the late Pope had a deep commitment to the plight of

Put the words in the right order

Laid solemn after to a ceremony rest .
Church paid officials dignitaries foreign and respects their .
The website Vatican ceremony called the moving News .
He Catholic of as the Church head served .
The outpouring us affection how tells of much .
He utmost man his who a did was .
A commitment plight the to of migrants deep .
He criticism in of was war his outspoken .
He'll calls remembered his for inclusivity be for .
Even brought this conservatives criticism from though .

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

Pope Francis has been laid to rest after a column / solemn ceremony in Rome. The funeral and processing / procession were attended by more than 250,000 people. Many high-ranking church officials, regal / royalty, heads of state, and foreign dignitaries paid / laid their respects to the pontiff in the magnificent 16th-century St Peter's Basilica. The Vatican News website called the ceremony "moving / moved, intense, and heartfelt". Pope Francis past / passed away on Easter Monday, aged 88, after serving as head / honcho of the Catholic Church for 12 years. Francis was the first Pope from South America. A Catholic Church cardinal said the pour / outpouring of affection in the Vatican highways / streets "tells us how much Pope Francis stroked / touched minds and hearts".

Pope Francis was a hugely / huge popular pontiff. He was seen as a man who did his uppermost / utmost to bring people together. Cardinal Re told moaners / mourners that the late Pope had a deep commitment to / at the plight of / on migrants and to world peace. Cardinal Re said Francis had constantly purged / urged people to "build bridges, not walls". Francis was always outspoken in his critical / criticism of war. He continually urged leaders to end conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar. Francis will also be remembered for his calls for greater exclusivity / inclusivity. He gave his conditional blessed / blessing of same-sex couples. He also recognized transgender and LGBTQ+ issues, even though this brought / took criticism from conservatives.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

P_p_ Fr_nc_s h_s b__n l__d t_ r_st _ft_r _ s_l_mn c_r_m_ny _n R_m_. Th_ f_n_r_l _nd pr_c_ss__n w_r_ _tt_nd_d by m_r_ th_n 250,000 p__pl_. M_ny h_gh-r_nk_ng ch_rch _ff_c__ls, r_y_lty, h__ds _f st_t_, _nd f_r__gn d_gn_t_r__s p__d th__r r_sp_cts t_ th_ p_nt_ff _n th_ m_gn_f_c_nt 16th-c_nt_ry St P_t_r's B_s_l_c_. Th_ V_t_c_n N_ws w_bs_t_ c_ll_d th_ c_r_m_ny "m_v_ng, _nt_ns_, _nd h__rtf_lt". P_p_ Fr_nc_s p_ss_d _w_y _n __st_r M_nd_y, _g_d 88, _ft_r s_rv_ng _s h__d _f th_ C_th_l_c Ch_rch f_r 12 y__rs. Fr_nc_s w_s th_ f_rst P_p_ fr_m S__th _m_r_c_. _ C_th_l_c Ch_rch c_rd_n_l s__d th_ __tp__r_ng _f _ff_ct__n _n th_ V_t_c_n str__ts "t_lls _s h_w m_ch P_p_ Fr_nc_s t__ch_d m_nds _nd h__rts".

P_p_ Fr_nc_s w_s _ h_g_ly p_p_l_r p_nt_ff. H_ w_s s__n _s _ m_n wh_ d_d h_s _tm_st t_ br_ng p__pl_ t_g_th_r. C_rd_n_l R_ t_ld m__rn_rs th_t th_ l_t_ P_p_ h_d _ d__p c_mm_tm_nt t_ th_ pl_ght _f m_gr_nts _nd t_ w_rld p__c_. C_rd_n_l R_ s__d Fr_nc_s h_d c_nst_ntly _rg_d p__pl_ t_ "b__ld br_dg_s, n_t w_lls". Fr_nc_s w_s _lw_ys __tsp_k_n _n h_s cr_t_c_sm _f w_r. H_ c_nt_n__lly _rg_d l__d_rs t_ _nd c_nfl_cts _n _kr__n_, G_z_, S_d_n _nd My_nm_r. Fr_nc_s w_ll _ls_ b_ r_m_mb_r_d f_r h_s c_lls f_r gr__t_r _ncl_s_v_ty. H_ g_v_ h_s c_nd_t__n_l bl_ss_ng _f s_m_-s_x c__pl_s. H_ _ls_ r_c_gn_z_d tr_nsg_nd_r _nd LGBTQ+ _ss__s, _v_n th__gh th_s br__ght cr_t_c_sm fr_m c_ns_rv_t_v_s.

Punctuate the text and add capitals

pope francis has been laid to rest after a solemn ceremony in rome the funeral and procession were attended by more than 250000 people many highranking church officials royalty heads of state and foreign dignitaries paid their respects to the pontiff in the magnificent 16thcentury st peters basilica the vatican news website called the ceremony moving intense and heartfelt pope francis passed away on easter monday aged 88 after serving as head of the catholic church for 12 years francis was the first pope from south america a catholic church cardinal said the outpouring of affection in the vatican streets tells us how much pope francis touched minds and hearts

pope francis was a hugely popular pontiff he was seen as a man who did his utmost to bring people together cardinal re told mourners that the late pope had a deep commitment to the plight of migrants and to world peace cardinal re said francis had constantly urged people to build bridges not walls francis was always outspoken in his criticism of war he continually urged leaders to end conflicts in ukraine gaza sudan and myanmar francis will also be remembered for his calls for greater inclusivity he gave his conditional blessing of samesex couples he also recognized transgender and lgbtq issues even though this brought criticism from conservatives

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

PopeFrancishasbeenlaidtorestafterasolemnceremonyinRome.Thefu
neralandprocessionwereattendedbymorethan250,000people.Many
high-rankingchurchofficials,royalty,headsofstate,andforeigndignit
ariespaidtheirrespectstothepontiffinthemagnificent16th-centurySt
Peter'sBasilica.TheVaticanNewswebsitecalledtheceremony"moving
,intense,andheartfelt".PopeFrancispassedawayonEasterMonday,ag
ed88,afterservingasheadoftheCatholicChurchfor12years.Franciswa
sthefirstPopefromSouthAmerica.ACatholicChurchcardinalsaidtheou
tpouringofaffectionintheVaticanstreets"tellsushowmuchPopeFranci
stouchedmindsandhearts".PopeFranciswasahugelypopularpontiff.H
ewasseenasamanwhodidhisutmosttobringpeopletogether.Cardinal
RetoldmournersthatthelatePopehadadeepcommitmenttotheplighto
fmigrantsandtoworldpeace.CardinalResaidFrancishadconstantlyurg
edpeopleto"buildbridges,notwalls".Franciswasalwaysoutspokeninhi
scriticismofwar.HecontinuallyurgedleaderstoendconflictsinUkraine,
Gaza,SudanandMyanmar.Franciswillalsoberememberedforhiscallsf
orgreaterinclusivity.Hegavehisconditionalblessingofsame-sexcoup
les.HealsorecognizedtransgenderandLGBTQ+issues,eventhough
thisbroughtcriticismfromconservatives.

Free writing

Write about Pope Francis for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

Religious leaders are better than political leaders. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Homework

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. POPE FRANCIS: Make a poster about Pope Francis. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. RELIGIOUS LEADERS: Write a magazine article about all of us following the teachings of religious leaders. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on Pope Francis. Ask him/her three questions about Pope Francis. Give him/her three of your ideas. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

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Answers

(Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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