Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church, passed away on April 21, 2025 at the age of 88, the Vatican announced today. The cause of his death was reported as a stroke followed by a Cardiac Arrest. This comes after he was hospitalised for a month due to double pneumonia and had recently returned to the Vatican to continue his recovery journey. He was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17th December 1939 in Flores, Buenos Aires. He had 4 siblings. After attending a technical secondary school, he graduated with a diploma as a chemical technician. Before finding his passion for religion, he worked several jobs, including as a Bouncer and Janitor. After the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 due to old age, the Papal Conclave congregated to select their new leader. On March 13th 2013, Bergoglio was elected as the Pope. He took the papal name Francis, in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi. A pope of many firsts, Pope Francis achieved several milestones upon his election: the first Jesuit Pope, the first pope from the Americas, and the first ever from the southern hemisphere. Inclusivity in the church The Pope also set a milestone by showing openness to the LGBTQ+ community, unlike his predecessors. In a televised interview in 2013, when asked about priests who were homosexual, he replied: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” In January 2023, he said that “Being Homosexual is not a crime” in an interview with AP. He also called out the laws that criminalise homosexuality “unjust”. In 2013, The Advocate, an American LGBTQ+ magazine, named him Person of the Year. Pope Francis’ deep affection for the poor was seen in multiple instances. On the first Holy Thursday after his election, he kissed and washed the feet of ten male and two female juvenile offenders imprisoned at Rome’s detention facility, telling them that this ritual signifies he was at their service. In this ritual, prisoners who followed Islam as their religion were also included by him, a landmark moment in the Vatican’s history. A voice for the Poor and victims Pope Francis chose this name because Saint Francis was extremely concerned with the welfare of the poor, and this was reflected multiple times during his papacy. Unlike popes from the past, Pope Francis had personal outreach with the homeless and poor. In a noble event, he turned a Vatican Plaza into a refuge for the homeless, whom he called “Nobles of the street”. He also practised a foot-washing ceremony of migrants and the poor to show he serves them. “I cannot greet people from inside a sardine can, even if it is made of glass”, said Pope Francis when asked about his outreach meetings. His holiness was also a passionate advocate for world peace. He called for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine several times. According to Vatican News, it was reported that he would video call with the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza every night since October 2024, offering prayers and solidarity to the residents, including Christians and Muslims. As a result of his acts of kindness, people called him “Champion of the Poor” and “Poor people’s Pope”. Pope on Climate Change Pope Francis left a deep impact on the issue of Climate Change. In his 12 years of papacy, he repeatedly raised the problem of human-caused global warming from burning fossil fuels. He encouraged citizens and world leaders to take action against the same. Pope Francis criticised developed countries like the US, which have contributed the most to planet warming pollution. He said poor nations have contributed the least to climate pollution. Francis inspired many Catholics to form climate groups, including The Global Catholic Climate Movement, which is now called the Laudato Si’ Movement. This movement aims to bring people together and fight the climate crisis while also protecting the environment and scrutinising eco-spirituality, sustainability, and social justice. Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and Pope Francis had their first-ever meeting during the PM’s visit to Italy in October 2021 for the G20 Summit. They discussed various issues, including Climate Change. Modi invited the Pope to visit India, which was politely accepted by Pope Francis. In their next meeting in 2024 at the G7 summit, PM Modi expressed his admiration for Pope Francis’ passion for the Environment and reiterated his invitation for a papal visit to India. Pope Francis did not just lead the Catholic Church, he changed what it stands for with compassion, humility and love. The world mourned as he passed away, with billions of Catholics and World leaders expressing their grief. His funeral was held on Saturday, 26th April, 2025, in Vatican City. Nearly 250,000 people attended his funeral. He remains as one of the only popes in over a century to be buried outside of the Vatican in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. While his views were widely praised, some traditional Catholics disagreed with his more progressive and liberal stance on social issues. Nonetheless, his legacy will always be remembered by the world.
27 Apr 2025
Janak Joshi
