The Pope's cause of death was confirmed.

Pete Hegseth angrily defended himself from a fresh controversy,

and you could catch a glimpse of a meteor shower this week.

That's some of what we'll get to on The Seven from The Washington Post.

I'm Reni Svrnowski in for Hannah Joel.

It's Tuesday, April 22nd.

Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Pope Francis's death yesterday morning was as much of a shock as it was foretold. What you just heard were bells

ringing in Vatican City on Monday as mourners gathered in St. Peter's Square. The Pope had almost

died twice during a 38-day hospitalization for double pneumonia in February, but a certain willful

optimism had spread among his supporters after his release on March 23rd.

The Pope was ordered to rest and avoid crowds. Yet, as he had always suggested he would, he pressed

on. His last public appearance was with thousands of faithful in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday.

Yesterday, Vatican officials attributed the cause of death to a cerebral stroke and heart failure. The announcement of his death

sent Catholics into mourning worldwide, and world leaders paid tribute to Francis. Here's President

Trump praising Pope Francis yesterday at the White House Easter Egg Roll.

I just signed an executive order, putting the flags of our country, all of them, all federal

flags, and state flags at half-mast in honor of Pope Francis. So he was a good man, worked

hard. He loved the world, and it's an honor to do that.

This morning, the Vatican announced that Francis's funeral will take place on Saturday.

And names are already circulating ahead of the conclave to select the next pope. In our newsletter

today, you can find a list of the 11 key

contenders. As usual, just follow the link in our show notes. President Donald Trump dismissed

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