Navarrosa, who is currently writing his thesis on the pope’s 2016 encyclical 'Amoris Laetitia,' recalls meeting Francis in 2021 and says he had hoped to meet him again. “I’m not worried about the future of the church, because it is guided by the Holy Spirit,” he says.

Memorial Masses for Pope Francis are expected across the world on Tuesday. In the Philippines, people packed the main hall of Manila Cathedral in the morning as Cardinal José Advincula, the city’s archbishop, led a service. His predecessor, Luis Antonio Tagle, has for years been considered a front-runner to be pope.

The Holy See, which governs the Vatican City, generates money in a variety of ways, including through donations from around the world as well as tourism.