Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and very popular among the faithful around the world but facing fierce opposition in his reform of the Catholic Church, died this Monday 21st at the age of 88.
The Argentine Jesuit, leader of the Catholic Church since 2013, had spent 38 days hospitalized with severe pneumonia. After being discharged on March 23, he appeared weakened, although he participated in the Easter celebration on Sunday.
“This morning at 7:35 (Rome time), the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father’s house,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced in a statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.
On Friday, February 14, 2025, Francis was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome suffering from bronchitis. He was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs, which required intensive treatment and was life-threatening. He was finally discharged on March 23.
Francis’s Last Appearance
On Sunday, still convalescing, he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and, in a weak voice, wished a “Happy Easter” to the thousands of faithful gathered there for Easter.
The Pope’s death will begin a series of formal ceremonies, dictated by tradition and governed by very precise rules. Nine days of funeral services are planned, followed by a period of 15 to 20 days to organize a conclave with around 130 cardinal electors to elect a successor. More than two-thirds of them were appointed by Francis. Meanwhile, the Irish Cardinal Camerlengo, Kevin Farrell, will serve as interim cardinal.
On Monday at the Vatican, the bustling St. Peter’s Square fell silent as the bells rang out. “He lived this Easter and left,” said Cesarina Cireddu, from the Italian island of Sardinia, with tears in her eyes. “He has returned to the Lord, may he go with God.”
Tour groups continued walking through the sprawling square, while silent groups of people leaned against a fence to pray. “We have lost our spiritual father,” said Riccardo Vielma, a 31-year-old Venezuelan studying to become a priest.
“A profound legacy”
Francis stated in late 2023 that he wanted to simplify papal funerals and announced his desire to be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, rather than St. Peter’s.
Former Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the first pontiff to choose the name of Francis, the saint of the poor, whose teachings inspired his pontificate, which began on March 13, 2013.
The first Jesuit and Latin American pope in history was tirelessly involved in defending migrants, the environment, and social justice, without questioning the Church’s positions on issues such as abortion or priest celibacy.
Numerous world leaders praised his leadership of a more open and compassionate Church
US Vice President JD Vance, who met with the pontiff at the Vatican on Sunday, declared from India that his “heart goes out to the millions of Christians” around the world.
Argentine President Javier Milei praised the Pope’s “kindness and wisdom” despite the “differences” between the two. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist, highlighted “his commitment to peace, social justice, and the most vulnerable.”
“A great man left us,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed that Francis was always “with the most vulnerable.”
Despite everything, Pope Francis enjoyed relatively good health until 2023. This despite suffering from acute pleurisy at the age of 21, which required the partial removal of his right lung. He was also known for suffering from chronic sciatica, which caused him to limp noticeably.
That year, his condition weakened significantly, forcing him to use a wheelchair and fueling rumors of a possible resignation. He would therefore follow the example of his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
The spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics was hospitalized twice in 2023. This led him to recognize the “limits” he had to deal with and cancel his participation in major events such as COP28 in Dubai in December.
Pope Francis’ Reforms
A music and soccer lover and not a fan of taking vacations, Francis maintained a frenetic work pace for years. The Supreme Pontiff often had a dozen appointments a day.
Both in Rome and abroad, the “Pope of the End of the World,” who was leader of the Jesuits during the Argentine dictatorship in the 1970s, tirelessly denounced all forms of violence, conflict, human trafficking, and economic exploitation, and defended the rights of migrants. But despite being a staunch opponent of the arms trade, he stood by helplessly during the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Francis, a shrewd politician known for his outspokenness, also worked to reform the Curia, the government of the Holy See, develop the role of women and lay people in the Church, and clean up the Vatican’s finances. To combat child sexual abuse in the Church, he lifted the papal secret and required religious and lay people to report cases to his hierarchy. However, he failed to convince victims’ associations, who criticized him for not going far enough.
Very committed to interreligious dialogue, especially with Islam, he defended until the end a Church “open to all,” which earned him harsh criticism from extremist movements for his support of migrants.
“Periphery”
The warm style of this reformist pope, who wished the faithful “bon appetit” every Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, aroused great popular fervor. But he was also heavily criticized by the conservative opposition for his alleged lack of orthodoxy and for exercising a government considered authoritarian.
These criticisms—embedded in petitions, books, and posters on the walls of Rome—also proliferated under the shadow of Benedict XVI, who resided in the Vatican until his death at the end of 2022, resulting in “two popes” for years.
There were also internal conflicts, with criticism from some cardinals, especially regarding the synod on the future of the Church held in 2023, a project that remained unfinished.
Francis’s style, which included preferring a sober, two-bedroom, 70 m² apartment to the luxurious apostolic palace and inviting homeless people and prisoners to his table, also earned him criticism for excessively desecrating his role.
The 266th pope seemed more interested in the “periphery” of the planet than in the major Western countries. He also brought new debates within the Church to the table, such as with his environmental and social encyclical “Laudato si,” a rebuke of the financial world and a call to safeguard the planet.
“The demonization of homosexuality, the debates about extramarital affairs, or the contraceptive pill are over… All of that is off the table,” Italian Vatican expert Marco Politi said.
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