Pope Francis, Dead at 88, Vatican Announces
The Argentinian was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires on the 17th of December 1936.
Seen as an outsider when he was chosen to succeed Benedict the 16th in 2013, the Argentinian was the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to lead the Roman Catholic Church.
The Pontiff appeared to the public for the final time on Sunday, as he delivered an Easter blessing to hundreds of worshippers.
Speaking to the crowd, he paid tribute to the victims global conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza as he shared a message of peace in his final public appearance.
Announcing his death, Cardinal Farrell said: “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.
“At 7.35am 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 His Church.
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised.
“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”
As the son of a railway worker who came from humble beginnings, and remained humble throughout his illustrious career, seen driving his old car and wearing simple clothes despite his high status.
An educated man, he earned a Master’s in chemistry and philosophy before going on to receive a doctorate in theology. He briefly worked in the food processing industry before cutting short his career after being compelled to join the church, becoming an ordained Catholic priest in 1969.
He later became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires before being sworn in as the 266th pope at 76 years old in 2013.
He has left behind an important legacy – Strong on social justice, with a tolerant tone on issues of women, abortion and homosexuality.
Pope Francis defied many who had expected a younger leader at the helm and was praised for his common touch and determination to root out Vatican bureaucracy and corruption.
He garnered plaudits when he addressed the horrific legacy of child sexual abuse head on.
The 88-year-old made his mark on the papacy from an early stage, abandoning the roomy penthouse apartment used by Popes for the past century in favour of a tiny suite at the Vatican guesthouse. In popular culture, Pope Francis was famously depicted by Jonathan Pryce in the Academy Award-winning film “The Two Popes”.
The film examining the relationship between the two after Pope Benedict in an unprecedented move decided to step down from the position. He was still active up until shortly before his death, visiting numerous countries, but he was plagued with illness, including several days in hospital and abdominal surgery as a result of a hernia and repeated lung infections.
Pope Francis was named by Fortune Magazine as the greatest world leader in 2014, and is estimated to have represented over 1-point-3 billion Roman Catholics during his reign.
In 2015, he received a standing ovation after addressing the US Congress.
At the age of 21 he underwent surgery to have part of one of his lungs removed thanks to a severe bout of pleurisy which was to leave him vulnerable to the winter weather.
It was around that time that he felt his vocation, which hit him when he stopped off at church on his way to join friends to celebrate a holiday.
“It surprised me, caught me with my guard down,” he later recalled.
He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1958 and, after studying humanities, philosophy and theology in Chile and Argentina, was ordained a priest in 1969.
In 1973, he was made Superior of the Jesuit province of Argentina, a post he held for six years. It was a period which included one of the most controversial episodes of his entire career.
Following a military coup in 1976, two Jesuit priests who had been preaching left-wing liberation theology in the slums, were abducted and tortured by regime loyalists. They were found five months later semi-naked and drugged.
One of the priests, Orlando Yorio, accused Bergoglio of effectively handing them over to the death squads by refusing to endorse their work, although his colleague, Francisco Jalics, later accepted that he had had no part in their kidnapping.
