April 21, 2025
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and a transformative figure in the Roman Catholic Church, died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, just hours after delivering his Easter Sunday address. His passing marks the end of a 12-year papacy defined by humility, advocacy for the poor, and bold reforms that reshaped the Church’s global outreach. Mourners gathered in St. Peter’s Square, some in tears, as world leaders and Catholics worldwide praised his commitment to marginalized communities and his vision for a more inclusive Church.
A Life Rooted in Service
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Italian immigrant parents, Francis’s early life was marked by modesty. After training as a chemical technician, he felt a calling to the priesthood, joining the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1958. Ordained in 1969, he rose to become the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina (1973–1979), archbishop of Buenos Aires (1998), and a cardinal in 2001. Known for commuting by public transport and cooking his own meals, Bergoglio’s simplicity foreshadowed his papacy.
Elected on March 13, 2013, as the 266th pope, he chose the name Francis, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, signaling his dedication to poverty, peace, and environmental stewardship. “I would like a Church that is poor and is for the poor,” he declared shortly after his election, a statement that became a cornerstone of his ministry.
Achievements and Teachings
Pope Francis’s papacy was a seismic shift for the Catholic Church, blending pastoral warmth with progressive reforms. His 2015 encyclical, Laudato si’, addressed the climate crisis, urging environmental stewardship and influencing global leaders, including oil CEOs, to pledge action against climate change. “The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” he wrote, calling for a “radical energy transition” to protect the planet.
Francis championed the marginalized, advocating for migrants, the poor, and survivors of clergy sexual abuse. He issued historic apologies for the Church’s failures during Argentina’s Dirty War and for its handling of abuse scandals, calling the latter a “source of shame for Catholics.” His 2023 appointment of 21 new cardinals, many from the Global South, ensured his reformist vision would influence the next conclave.
His emphasis on mercy and inclusion stirred both admiration and controversy. The 2023 Fiducia supplicans declaration allowed blessings for same-sex couples under strict conditions, sparking debate among conservative Catholics. “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?” he said in 2013, a quote that resonated globally.
Francis’s Synod on Synodality (2021–2024) promoted dialogue, including laypeople and women as voting delegates, a radical departure from tradition. “Truth, according to the Christian faith, is God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Therefore, truth is a relationship,” he said, emphasizing listening and encounter.
His humility was legendary. He shunned the Apostolic Palace for a modest Vatican guesthouse, took a bus with cardinals after his election, and personally paid his hotel bill. “To depict the pope as a sort of superman, a sort of star, seems offensive to me. The pope is a man who laughs, cries, sleeps tranquilly and has friends like everyone else, a normal person,” he said in 2014.
A Final Farewell
Francis’s health had been frail, with chronic lung disease and a recent hospitalization for double pneumonia. Yet, he appeared in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, wishing worshippers a “Happy Easter.” His death the next morning at 7:35 a.m. in Casa Santa Marta was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo: “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”
His body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, with a funeral expected within four to six days, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. Francis requested burial at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, breaking a century-long tradition of Vatican interments, reflecting his devotion to the Virgin Mary.
The Path to a New Pope
With Francis’s passing, the Vatican enters the sede vacante period, during which the College of Cardinals governs the Church with limited authority. Cardinal Farrell, as camerlengo, oversees preparations, including sealing Francis’s residence and confirming his death. No autopsy is performed, per tradition.
Within 15 to 20 days, a papal conclave will convene in the Sistine Chapel, where 135 cardinals under age 80 will vote in secret. Eligible voters from India include Cardinals Filipe Neri Ferrão, Cleemis Baselios, Anthony Poola, and George Jacob Koovakad. A two-thirds majority is required to elect the new pope, with up to four voting rounds daily. Ballots are burned after each round, producing black smoke if no pope is chosen or white smoke to signal a successful election. The announcement “Habemus papam” (“We have a pope”) will follow from St. Peter’s balcony.
While any baptized Catholic man is theoretically eligible, cardinals typically choose one of their own. Francis’s appointment of over 100 voting cardinals suggests his progressive legacy may endure, though some predict a conservative backlash. Potential candidates include Cardinals Matteo Zuppi, Pietro Parolin, and Peter Turkson, with speculation about a non-European pope, given the Church’s growth in Africa and Asia.
A Lasting Legacy
Pope Francis leaves a Church more open, yet divided, grappling with his reforms. “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just,” he once said, a guiding principle that defined his outreach to the world’s fringes. As the Vatican prepares to elect his successor, Catholics and non-Catholics alike mourn a pontiff who sought to bridge divides and embody the Gospel’s call to love.
