Reporter's Notebook: From John Paul II to Francis, covering two historic papacies

Pope Francis’ unexpected passing, almost 20 years after John Paul II’s, closes a chapter on two influential papacies.

In a series of "live shots," I talked about a man who seemed so familiar to all. They called him the "People’s Pope." And no wonder. The first from the Americas. For 12 years a champion of the downtrodden, victims of war, hunger and poverty. Taking on big global issues like inequality and global warming. Tangling, with degrees of success, with issues inside the Roman Catholic Church like sex abuse and the roles of women and gays. All with a personal, humble and humorous touch.    Greg Palkot currently serves as a London-based senior foreign affairs correspondent for Fox News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in 1998 as a correspondent. Follow him on Twitter@GregPalkot.

And at the same time, in my mind, there were memories of the passing of Pope John Paul II. I was there in Vatican City on a chilly night in April 2005, reporting with the Fox News team. The pope was literally on his deathbed in his Apostolic Palace apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square, where tens of thousands had gathered in a mass vigil. And then the lights went out.