MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Pope Francis, the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88, the Holy See’s press service said.
"Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church," Cardinal Farrell announced.
Early life and education
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, was raised in a family of an Italian railroad worker in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After early studies aimed at becoming a chemical technician, he entered the seminary, marking the beginning of his formal religious education. He then took courses in humanities at the academic level in Chile and studied for a licentiate in philosophy in Buenos Aires. Upon graduation, he taught literature, philosophy, and theology at the high school level.
Career before papacy
Bergoglio was ordained as a priest in 1969, and later professed his final vows as a member of the Jesuit order in Argentina (which he joined in 1958). He spent some time living in Spain, Great Britain, and Germany. Upon returning to Argentina, he served in the Archdiocese of Cordoba. During the 1980s, he was a seminary rector and teacher. His career progressed steadily, and he was made an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and archbishop in 1998.
On February 21, 2001, Pope John Paul II consecrated Bergoglio as a cardinal and appointed him to several administrative posts in the Roman Curia (the governing body of the Roman Catholic Church).
From 2005-2008, he chaired the Argentine Episcopal Conference (the body that gathers the country's Catholic bishops).
Papacy
On March 13, 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church. He became the first Latin American and Jesuit pope in history, and the first to take the name Francis, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order of mendicants known for living simple lives of service to the poor. The first thing Francis said to the cardinals who elected him was, "May God forgive you for what you’ve done."
Key achievements
As the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the ex officio head of the Vatican City State (an absolute theocratic monarchy), Pope Francis enacted reforms that drastically transformed Vatican law, streamlined the structure of the Roman Curia, and reduced bureaucratic inefficiencies. His papacy has been defined by significant documents, including three encyclicals and key papal writings addressing urgent socio-political and theological issues. He also made history by appointing women to several positions within the Roman Curia and various advisory bodies. Despite these progressive moves, the pope remained committed to the church's longstanding principles on matters such as celibacy, the ordination of women, euthanasia, abortion, and the traditional family unit.
Pope Francis emerged as a staunch advocate for the marginalized, declaring his vision for "a poor church for poor people." He continuously called for efforts to combat poverty and inequality, championing access to jobs, education, and healthcare for all. Additionally, he boldly spoke out against "savage capitalism," condemning it as a "new tyranny."
Interreligious dialogue of Pope Francis
On February 12, 2016, Pope Francis held a historic meeting with Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in Cuba. This marked the first-ever encounter between a Roman Catholic pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch, after nearly 1,000 years since the East-West Schism of 1054. In March 2021, Pope Francis made further history by meeting with Ayatollah al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shia Muslims, with the aim of fostering an international religious coalition for peace. In October 2017, the pontiff visited Sweden for the Joint Commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. During his visit, he urged for atonement and Christian reconciliation, highlighting the importance of uniting the two churches at the Eucharistic table.
Views on international conflicts
Pope Francis voiced an unpopular opinion regarding the Ukraine conflict, admitting that NATO might have played a negative role in its escalation. In June 2022, he expressed the belief that a world war had been declared and emphasized that this should make the world think twice.
Vatican-accredited reporters suggest that Pope Francis managed to overcome the deep crisis the Catholic Church experienced under his predecessor, Benedict XVI — scandals, suspicions of corruption, clan struggles among prelates, and empty churches. Francis' pontificate has been called a "reset button" or "quiet revolution" in the Catholic world.
Pope Francis as a person
Pope Francis was known for his humility and simplicity. After assuming leadership of the Catholic Church, he chose not to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, opting instead to reside in a suite in the Vatican guesthouse. In recent years, the pontiff spoke almost solely in Spanish and Italian, but this was merely due to lack of practice. Previously, he could fluently switch between German, French, English, Portuguese, Latin, and Ancient Greek. Among his favorite authors, he listed Russian Fyodor Dostoevsky and Argentine writers Jorge Luis Borges and Leopoldo Marechal. He was a lover of opera, Argentine tango, and a devoted fan of the Argentine football club San Lorenzo de Almagro.
Back in 2013, Pope Francis remarked that the abdication of Benedict XVI had "opened the door" to a new modern approach to succession. He later admitted that he allowed himself the possibility of abdication due to fatigue or health reasons. In December 2023, the pontiff voiced his wish to be buried in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, rather than in the Vatican's Saint Peter's Basilica, as his predecessors had.