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PHOTO COLLECTION: Argentina reacts to Pope Francis' death

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PHOTO COLLECTION: Argentina reacts to Pope Francis' death
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PHOTO COLLECTION: Argentina reacts to Pope Francis' death

2025-04-23 23:54 Last Updated At:04-24 00:02

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.

People gather for the late Pope Francis outside the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

People gather for the late Pope Francis outside the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

People stand in front of candles for the late Pope Francis on the grand staircase of the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

People stand in front of candles for the late Pope Francis on the grand staircase of the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A parishioner prays at the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A parishioner prays at the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Agustín Hartich lights a candle at the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Agustín Hartich lights a candle at the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Commuters glance from a passing bus at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where the late Pope Francis worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Commuters glance from a passing bus at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where the late Pope Francis worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

The Cathedral, left, stands in Buenos Aires' main square, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

The Cathedral, left, stands in Buenos Aires' main square, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

Patricia Sanchez attaches a rosary to a column of the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Patricia Sanchez attaches a rosary to a column of the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A worshipper cries during Mass at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A worshipper cries during Mass at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Genali Nogales touches a painting of the late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Genali Nogales touches a painting of the late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A faithful holds a portrait of late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A faithful holds a portrait of late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Maria Teresa Delgado holds a portrait of the late Pope Francis during Mass at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Maria Teresa Delgado holds a portrait of the late Pope Francis during Mass at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Father Jesus Carides holds a portrait at the Caacupe Parish, which Pope Francis often visited and preached at, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Father Jesus Carides holds a portrait at the Caacupe Parish, which Pope Francis often visited and preached at, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Gregoria Caceres kneels in front of a portrait of the late Pope Francis at the Caacupe Parish, which he often visited and preached at, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Gregoria Caceres kneels in front of a portrait of the late Pope Francis at the Caacupe Parish, which he often visited and preached at, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A mural depicts the late Pope Francis alongside soccer player Lionel Messi in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A mural depicts the late Pope Francis alongside soccer player Lionel Messi in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A Gospel reader recites a passage during a Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Hogares de Cristo community center in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of a network for drug addicts originally supported by then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A Gospel reader recites a passage during a Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Hogares de Cristo community center in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of a network for drug addicts originally supported by then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

The late Pope Francis is depicted on a mural alongside soccer player Lionel Messi at the Carlos Mugica neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

The late Pope Francis is depicted on a mural alongside soccer player Lionel Messi at the Carlos Mugica neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A street artist chalks a portrait of the late Pope Francis in front of the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A street artist chalks a portrait of the late Pope Francis in front of the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Girls play next to a mural of the late Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Girls play next to a mural of the late Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful attend Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

Faithful attend Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

A priest holds Mass to honor the late Pope Francis under a highway bridge in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A priest holds Mass to honor the late Pope Francis under a highway bridge in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful hold candles under a highway bridge during Mass to honor the late Pope Francis in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful hold candles under a highway bridge during Mass to honor the late Pope Francis in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A street artists chalks a portrait of the late Pope Francis outside the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A street artists chalks a portrait of the late Pope Francis outside the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A photo of the late Pope Francis is projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A photo of the late Pope Francis is projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Worshippers pray during a Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Hogares de Cristo community center in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of a network for drug addicts originally supported by then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Worshippers pray during a Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Hogares de Cristo community center in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of a network for drug addicts originally supported by then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Vehicles drive past a mural of the late Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

Vehicles drive past a mural of the late Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

Faithful hold candles during a Mass honoring the late Pope Francis under a highway bridge in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful hold candles during a Mass honoring the late Pope Francis under a highway bridge in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A man looks at a photo of the late Pope Francis projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A man looks at a photo of the late Pope Francis projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

FILE - A man rides a bicycle near a weathered mural of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

FILE - A man rides a bicycle near a weathered mural of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

A sign of the late Pope Francis reads in Spanish "Now we're all Francisco" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A sign of the late Pope Francis reads in Spanish "Now we're all Francisco" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Norberto Rodriguez places a photo of the late Pope Francis on a column at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Norberto Rodriguez places a photo of the late Pope Francis on a column at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A woman places flowers by the confessional of the Basilica de San Jose de Flores where Francis first realized his calling to become a priest at age 17 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A woman places flowers by the confessional of the Basilica de San Jose de Flores where Francis first realized his calling to become a priest at age 17 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A woman cries during an inter-religious Mass in honor of the late Pope Francis at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A woman cries during an inter-religious Mass in honor of the late Pope Francis at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A woman holds a photo of the late Pope Francis during an inter-religious Mass in honor of the late pontiff at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A woman holds a photo of the late Pope Francis during an inter-religious Mass in honor of the late pontiff at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

More Images
People gather for the late Pope Francis outside the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

People gather for the late Pope Francis outside the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

People stand in front of candles for the late Pope Francis on the grand staircase of the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

People stand in front of candles for the late Pope Francis on the grand staircase of the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A parishioner prays at the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A parishioner prays at the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Agustín Hartich lights a candle at the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Agustín Hartich lights a candle at the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Commuters glance from a passing bus at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where the late Pope Francis worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Commuters glance from a passing bus at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where the late Pope Francis worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

The Cathedral, left, stands in Buenos Aires' main square, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

The Cathedral, left, stands in Buenos Aires' main square, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

Patricia Sanchez attaches a rosary to a column of the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Patricia Sanchez attaches a rosary to a column of the Cathedral following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A worshipper cries during Mass at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A worshipper cries during Mass at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, following the Vatican's announcement of Pope Francis' death, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Genali Nogales touches a painting of the late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Genali Nogales touches a painting of the late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A faithful holds a portrait of late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A faithful holds a portrait of late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Maria Teresa Delgado holds a portrait of the late Pope Francis during Mass at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Maria Teresa Delgado holds a portrait of the late Pope Francis during Mass at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Father Jesus Carides holds a portrait at the Caacupe Parish, which Pope Francis often visited and preached at, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Father Jesus Carides holds a portrait at the Caacupe Parish, which Pope Francis often visited and preached at, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Gregoria Caceres kneels in front of a portrait of the late Pope Francis at the Caacupe Parish, which he often visited and preached at, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Gregoria Caceres kneels in front of a portrait of the late Pope Francis at the Caacupe Parish, which he often visited and preached at, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A mural depicts the late Pope Francis alongside soccer player Lionel Messi in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A mural depicts the late Pope Francis alongside soccer player Lionel Messi in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A Gospel reader recites a passage during a Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Hogares de Cristo community center in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of a network for drug addicts originally supported by then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A Gospel reader recites a passage during a Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Hogares de Cristo community center in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of a network for drug addicts originally supported by then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

The late Pope Francis is depicted on a mural alongside soccer player Lionel Messi at the Carlos Mugica neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

The late Pope Francis is depicted on a mural alongside soccer player Lionel Messi at the Carlos Mugica neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A street artist chalks a portrait of the late Pope Francis in front of the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A street artist chalks a portrait of the late Pope Francis in front of the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Girls play next to a mural of the late Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Girls play next to a mural of the late Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful attend Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

Faithful attend Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

A priest holds Mass to honor the late Pope Francis under a highway bridge in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A priest holds Mass to honor the late Pope Francis under a highway bridge in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful hold candles under a highway bridge during Mass to honor the late Pope Francis in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful hold candles under a highway bridge during Mass to honor the late Pope Francis in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A street artists chalks a portrait of the late Pope Francis outside the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A street artists chalks a portrait of the late Pope Francis outside the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A photo of the late Pope Francis is projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A photo of the late Pope Francis is projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Worshippers pray during a Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Hogares de Cristo community center in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of a network for drug addicts originally supported by then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Worshippers pray during a Mass for the late Pope Francis at the Hogares de Cristo community center in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, part of a network for drug addicts originally supported by then-Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Vehicles drive past a mural of the late Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

Vehicles drive past a mural of the late Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

Faithful hold candles during a Mass honoring the late Pope Francis under a highway bridge in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful hold candles during a Mass honoring the late Pope Francis under a highway bridge in the Carlos Mugica neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A man looks at a photo of the late Pope Francis projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

A man looks at a photo of the late Pope Francis projected onto the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

FILE - A man rides a bicycle near a weathered mural of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

FILE - A man rides a bicycle near a weathered mural of Pope Francis in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

A sign of the late Pope Francis reads in Spanish "Now we're all Francisco" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A sign of the late Pope Francis reads in Spanish "Now we're all Francisco" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Norberto Rodriguez places a photo of the late Pope Francis on a column at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Norberto Rodriguez places a photo of the late Pope Francis on a column at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A woman places flowers by the confessional of the Basilica de San Jose de Flores where Francis first realized his calling to become a priest at age 17 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A woman places flowers by the confessional of the Basilica de San Jose de Flores where Francis first realized his calling to become a priest at age 17 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A woman cries during an inter-religious Mass in honor of the late Pope Francis at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A woman cries during an inter-religious Mass in honor of the late Pope Francis at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A woman holds a photo of the late Pope Francis during an inter-religious Mass in honor of the late pontiff at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A woman holds a photo of the late Pope Francis during an inter-religious Mass in honor of the late pontiff at the Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Becky Pepper-Jackson finished third in the discus throw in West Virginia last year though she was in just her first year of high school. Now a 15-year-old sophomore, Pepper-Jackson is aware that her upcoming season could be her last.

West Virginia has banned transgender girls like Pepper-Jackson from competing in girls and women's sports, and is among the more than two dozen states with similar laws. Though the West Virginia law has been blocked by lower courts, the outcome could be different at the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, which has allowed multiple restrictions on transgender people to be enforced in the past year.

The justices are hearing arguments Tuesday in two cases over whether the sports bans violate the Constitution or the landmark federal law known as Title IX that prohibits sex discrimination in education. The second case comes from Idaho, where college student Lindsay Hecox challenged that state's law.

Decisions are expected by early summer.

President Donald Trump's Republican administration has targeted transgender Americans from the first day of his second term, including ousting transgender people from the military and declaring that gender is immutable and determined at birth.

Pepper-Jackson has become the face of the nationwide battle over the participation of transgender girls in athletics that has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls.

“I think it’s something that needs to be done,” Pepper-Jackson said in an interview with The Associated Press that was conducted over Zoom. “It’s something I’m here to do because ... this is important to me. I know it’s important to other people. So, like, I’m here for it.”

She sat alongside her mother, Heather Jackson, on a sofa in their home just outside Bridgeport, a rural West Virginia community about 40 miles southwest of Morgantown, to talk about a legal fight that began when she was a middle schooler who finished near the back of the pack in cross-country races.

Pepper-Jackson has grown into a competitive discus and shot put thrower. In addition to the bronze medal in the discus, she finished eighth among shot putters.

She attributes her success to hard work, practicing at school and in her backyard, and lifting weights. Pepper-Jackson has been taking puberty-blocking medication and has publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade, though the Supreme Court's decision in June upholding state bans on gender-affirming medical treatment for minors has forced her to go out of state for care.

Her very improvement as an athlete has been cited as a reason she should not be allowed to compete against girls.

“There are immutable physical and biological characteristic differences between men and women that make men bigger, stronger, and faster than women. And if we allow biological males to play sports against biological females, those differences will erode the ability and the places for women in these sports which we have fought so hard for over the last 50 years,” West Virginia's attorney general, JB McCuskey, said in an AP interview. McCuskey said he is not aware of any other transgender athlete in the state who has competed or is trying to compete in girls or women’s sports.

Despite the small numbers of transgender athletes, the issue has taken on outsize importance. The NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees banned transgender women from women's sports after Trump signed an executive order aimed at barring their participation.

The public generally is supportive of the limits. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in October 2025 found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults “strongly” or “somewhat” favored requiring transgender children and teenagers to only compete on sports teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with, while about 2 in 10 were “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed and about one-quarter did not have an opinion.

About 2.1 million adults, or 0.8%, and 724,000 people age 13 to 17, or 3.3%, identify as transgender in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

Those allied with the administration on the issue paint it in broader terms than just sports, pointing to state laws, Trump administration policies and court rulings against transgender people.

"I think there are cultural, political, legal headwinds all supporting this notion that it’s just a lie that a man can be a woman," said John Bursch, a lawyer with the conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom that has led the legal campaign against transgender people. “And if we want a society that respects women and girls, then we need to come to terms with that truth. And the sooner that we do that, the better it will be for women everywhere, whether that be in high school sports teams, high school locker rooms and showers, abused women’s shelters, women’s prisons.”

But Heather Jackson offered different terms to describe the effort to keep her daughter off West Virginia's playing fields.

“Hatred. It’s nothing but hatred,” she said. "This community is the community du jour. We have a long history of isolating marginalized parts of the community.”

Pepper-Jackson has seen some of the uglier side of the debate on display, including when a competitor wore a T-shirt at the championship meet that said, “Men Don't Belong in Women's Sports.”

“I wish these people would educate themselves. Just so they would know that I’m just there to have a good time. That’s it. But it just, it hurts sometimes, like, it gets to me sometimes, but I try to brush it off,” she said.

One schoolmate, identified as A.C. in court papers, said Pepper-Jackson has herself used graphic language in sexually bullying her teammates.

Asked whether she said any of what is alleged, Pepper-Jackson said, “I did not. And the school ruled that there was no evidence to prove that it was true.”

The legal fight will turn on whether the Constitution's equal protection clause or the Title IX anti-discrimination law protects transgender people.

The court ruled in 2020 that workplace discrimination against transgender people is sex discrimination, but refused to extend the logic of that decision to the case over health care for transgender minors.

The court has been deluged by dueling legal briefs from Republican- and Democratic-led states, members of Congress, athletes, doctors, scientists and scholars.

The outcome also could influence separate legal efforts seeking to bar transgender athletes in states that have continued to allow them to compete.

If Pepper-Jackson is forced to stop competing, she said she will still be able to lift weights and continue playing trumpet in the school concert and jazz bands.

“It will hurt a lot, and I know it will, but that’s what I’ll have to do,” she said.

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Becky Pepper-Jackson poses for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Becky Pepper-Jackson poses for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Supreme Court stands is Washington, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The Supreme Court stands is Washington, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Protestors hold signs during a rally at the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson, file)

FILE - Protestors hold signs during a rally at the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson, file)

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