Pope Francis was a spiritual leader of over 1.3 billion Catholics and also one of the most influential global figures of the 21st century. He died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. His death was followed by complications from a stroke and later cardiac arrest. The Vatican confirmed that the pope passed away peacefully at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, which was his residence within Vatican City, in the early hours of Easter Monday. Pope Francis was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936. Pope Francis made history when he was elected to the papacy on March 13, 2013. He was the first ever pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit pope, and the first pope to choose the name Francis. The name was a homage to St. Francis of Assisi, who symbolizes humility, poverty, and care for the earth.
Throughout his 12 years of papacy, Pope Francis was widely recognized for his reformist spirit, his pastoral approach, and his determination to steer the Catholic church into a new era of openness and compassion. His focus on inclusivity extended to marginalized communities, refugees, and people of other faiths. In 2013, just a few months after his election, he famously said which was regarding gay individuals, “Who am I to judge?” This was a remark that signaled to the world that there was a major cultural shift within the Catholic church. He redefined what it meant to be a religious leader in the modern world. Not through grand declarations but through quiet acts of love, humility, and justice.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, remarked in a statement that, “Pope Francis reminded us that ‘mercy’ is the very name of God, and, therefore, no one can put a limit on His merciful love with which He wants to raise us up and make us new people” according to the St.Louis Review. One of his most impactful contributions came through his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, in which he called for urgent action on climate change, linking ecological degradation to social injustice. “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” according to The Guardian. He wrote this advocating for an integral ecology that respects both the environment and the poor.
His papacy also saw efforts to confront and respond to the Catholic Church’s long-standing sexual abuse crisis. Though he faced tons of criticism for not going far enough, Francis took significant steps toward transparency, including lifting the pope’s secrecy rule in abuse cases and convening a 2019 summit with bishops worldwide to address the crisis. Reactions to his death have poured in from around the globe. Former U.S. President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, called Pope Francis “one of the most consequential moral leaders of our time.” King Charles III said in a statement saying “Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, however, to know that His Holiness was able to share an Easter Greeting with the Church and the world he served with such devotion throughout his life and ministry.”
The pope’s funeral was held on April 26, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square, drawing world leaders, religious figures, and millions of faithful. He was buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a site significant for his devotion to the Virgin Mary. A conclave of cardinals will convene on May 7th to elect Francis’s successor. Over 120 cardinals from around the world will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the sacred task.
