The Vatican confirmed Monday that Pope Francis died. He was the Argentine Jesuit, who became the First Roman Catholic Pontiff of the Americas.
His age was 88.
In a video message, Cardinal Kevin Farrell delivered the news.
Farrell, in an official translation, said: “Dear brothers and sisters, I announce with great sorrow the death of Holy Father Francis.”
Francis, Bishop of Rome returned at 7:35 am this morning to the Father’s house. He dedicated his entire life to serving the Lord and His Church. “He taught us how to embody the gospel values with faith, courage and love for all, but especially the most vulnerable and marginalized people.”
Farrell continued, “With gratitude and admiration for Pope Francis’ example of a disciple of Jesus Christ, we offer the soul of this pope to the merciful infinite love of God the Triune.”
Francis, the Roman Catholic Church’s 266th Pope elected in 2013 following Benedict XVI’s resignation in Buenos Aires was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1935.
Francis was seen as the pope that smiles often, embraces humility and has a wide message. Benedict, on the other hand, is a staunch defender orthodoxy, who prefers to be alone with his books.
Many liberal non-Catholics were moved by his emphasis on human suffering and poverty. He also referred to climate change as an urgent moral issue.
He chose the Vatican Guest House over the luxurious papal apartments, refusing to accept the privileges that came with his position.
He was also the first Jesuit Pope, first pope from the Southern Hemisphere and first non-European pontiff in almost 1,300 years. He succeeded Syria’s Gregory III in 731.
Francis, the eldest child of five siblings and son of an Italian-Argentine father who immigrated to America from Italy.
He worked as a nightclub bouncer and janitor as a young boy before he became a chemical technologist.
In 1969, he was ordained a Jesuit Priest. By 1973, at the age of 36, he had been appointed head of Society of Jesus Argentina and Uruguay, a position he held for over 30 years.
Pope John Paul appointed Francis a bishop, in 1992. Six years later, he was made archbishop for Buenos Aires. In 2001, he was made a cardinal.
Francis had surgery to remove a part of his lung in his youth after a respiratory illness. The Vatican stated in 2013, however, that this condition never affected his ability to work.
In his latter years, Pope John Paul II faced a number of health issues, such as respiratory problems and multiple surgeries.
In July 2021 he was admitted to hospital in Rome for colon surgery for diverticular stasis. This shocked the Church despite Vatican assurances.
In March 2023, he returned to the hospital with bronchitis. He joked afterwards that he “was still alive.”
He underwent a second operation just over two months after the first to correct a hernia.
As new information becomes available, this post Pope Francis Dies at 88 might be updated.
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