On April 21st, 2025, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88.
Pope Francis was born in Argentina as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the son of Italian immigrants, the first pope ever to be from the Americas. Throughout his life, he was known for being incredibly humble. As a priest and later Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he refused to live in the luxurious bishop’s residence. Instead, he chose a small apartment, cooked his own meals, and often took public transportation rather than using a chauffeur.
He spent a lot of time dedicated to helping citizens who lived in the slums, ministering to people living in poverty and emphasizing the Church’s duty to serve the marginalized. He chose the name “Francis” after St. Francis of Assisi, who was known for his poverty-stricken life as a Jesuit, his humility, and his ceaseless care for the poor.. All of these factors were indicators of the kind of pope he intended to be.
His journey to becoming a priest was somewhat lengthy, ongoing for 13 years. Originally, he wasn’t even interested in entering a career in ministry. He graduated as a chemical technician, but knew that wasn’t what he wanted to pursue. He knew he wanted to be a priest when he entered the Basilica of St. Joseph in Buenos Aires at the age of 16. He says when he entered, “it felt as though “someone grabbed me from inside”. On 11 March 1958 he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus.
He was named a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001 and was elected pope on March 13, 2013. He preached acceptance, earning the nickname of the “woke pope”. During his time in the Vatican as the pope, he achieved a considerable amount. Some of the more widely known things he has done and said are: accepting the LGBT Catholics, in December 2023 he formally had the blessing of same sex couples, under certain conditions, he acknowledged the sex abuse crisis that was happening throughout Catholic churches around the world, and wasn’t downplaying the victims’ stories, something that the Catholic Church was known to do.
In July 2022, he undertook a “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada, where he met with survivors of the religious run residential schools, which were institutions that sought to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children and gained infamy for widespread physical and sexual abuse.
He also acknowledged the state that our planet was in, stating that the climate crisis was a problem that more global leaders should be addressing. He also stated that people should stop wastefully consuming, because it was supplying more pollution.
Unfortunately, Pope Francis experienced health complications throughout his life. When he was 21, he contracted a respiratory infection which eventually turned into pneumonia- this almost killed him. As a result of this, he underwent a surgical procedure which removed a part of his right lung. Because of his medical history, as he got older he faced more respiratory problems.
He suffered from sciatica, causing significant back pain and knee problems that affected his mobility. These issues often required him to use a wheelchair or cane during public appearances. In February 2025, Pope Francis was reportedly hospitalized due to bronchitis, which progressed to double pneumonia. His condition was critical, requiring mechanical ventilation and high-flow oxygen therapy. He was let out of the hospital, but on April 21st, Pope Francis passed away due to a massive stroke.
