Pope Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American pontiff, died Monday at age 88 at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. His death was announced by the Vatican a day after he appeared in St. Peter’s Square to bless crowds on Easter Sunday.
Elected in 2013 after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Francis inherited a Church in turmoil and led it through a period of sweeping change. His papacy was marked by efforts to make the Roman Catholic Church more inclusive, transparent, and focused on social justice.
Throughout his 12-year tenure, Francis sought to shift the Church away from rigid doctrine and toward a pastoral approach centered on compassion. He championed the rights of migrants, the poor, and the marginalized, and addressed long-ignored issues such as clerical sexual abuse. He restructured Vatican finances and governance, often relying on a close circle of advisers and bypassing traditional power centers.
Francis also challenged conservatives by restricting the Latin Mass, welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics, and allowing discussions on priestly celibacy and the role of women. Despite this, he often stopped short of enacting sweeping reforms, leaving both critics and supporters wanting more.
Physically weakened in his final years, Francis continued to travel widely, focusing attention on the Global South and conflict zones such as South Sudan. His leadership style, blending populist roots with papal authority, made him a polarizing figure—admired by many as a reformer, resisted by others as a disruptor.
Source: Vatican News