Pope Francis is a pioneering Catholic leader known for his human rights advocacy and sharp political superiority, who passed away on Monday, April 21st at the age of 88. The Vatican announced.
The bishop was hospitalized with bronchitis on February 14th and suffered from pneumonia four days later, and was listed as “crisis” by the Vatican on Saturday, February 22nd. He never recovered completely.
“My beloved brothers and sisters, with deep grief, we must announce the death of our holy father, Francis,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell. “This morning at 7:35, the Roman bishop of Francis returned to his father’s house. His life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his church. He taught us to live the value of the gospel with faithfulness, courage and universal love. The infinite merciful love of God, one and the Trinity.”
Born in Argentina in 1936, the Pope, Jorge Mario Bergolio, broke barriers in the Catholic Church when he became the first leader of the Vatican province from the Americas, defeating the first person representing the Jesuit Order, the intellectual wing of the church that prioritizes charity.
He was also the first Pope to address Congress in 2015 when he visited Capitol Hill and urged all striped lawmakers to put aside differences to help the poor and disadvantaged people of the world.
Former speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), a devout Catholic, Lionized Francis portrays him as a perfect embodiment of Matthew’s gospel.
“He followed that lead,” Pelosi said. “He’s great to discuss intellectually, in a place that is almost heavenly.”
Initially, Francis studied as a chemical engineer before entering the priesthood in 1958, and eventually rose to become the Jesuit Archbishop of Buenos Aires.Official Vatican Bio. He was elected the Supreme Bishop in March 2013 and continued after Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned a month ago, citing his senior age.
Francis had an extraordinary reputation as the “pope of the people” for humility, focusing on social justice and global equality. Throughout his time at the Vatican, he broke tradition and left grounds to personally wash the feet of prisoners, refugees, people with disabilities, women and Muslims. He rejected the ornate parts of the Pope, and simply lived in a guesthouse in the Vatican city instead of the traditional Apostles’ Palace.
He changed the rules of the church to include women in women’s washing ceremonies, and last year, he washed women’s feet in a Roman prison with humble, memorable scenes, even when he was tied up in a wheelchair.
The gesture of humility was loved by liberals both inside and outside the Catholic Church. He welcomed the Pope outside and outside the Catholic Church for his unconventional decision to rush his head into frequently troublesome political battles on behalf of minorities.
“In my life, this is the only Pope that touched me,” said Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), a Methodist minister.
“He quoted the Bible related to immigration: “Jesus told us to welcome strangers.” On the issue of race: “We are one God,” continued Cleaver. “When I went to see him, I started crying. It was just moving.”
Not everyone is so fascinated.
Francis’ controversial political stance put him on a clash course with Vaticans around the world and conservative bishops and traditionalist cardinals. And these qual agents have been echoed by right-leaning Catholics across the United States, many of whom thought Francis was too far from the Church’s longstanding orthodoxy, particularly on social issues.
“He’s the Pope, he’s our leader, but I think he’s a little more liberal than I’d like,” said Rep. Carlos Guimenez (R-FLA.).
Francis broke into church tradition with his welcoming attitude towards LGBTQ people, replied famously, “Who am I going to judge?” In 2013, when asked about a gay catholic priest. He took great steps in 2023 when he signed the doctrine to allow trans people to be baptized and approved the church blessings of same-sex couples.
The Pope was also tasked with facing a history of sexual abuse scandals and cover-up in the Catholic Church.2022He has “zero tolerance” due to abuse by members of the clergy and hears survivors.Septemberwho wanted compensation for their trauma.
But on other issues, Francis was stable in tradition, infuriating liberal Catholics in the process. He took a firm stance on issues such as gender inheritance surgery, calling it a serious violation. And despite telling former President Biden he should continue to receive communion, he considered abortion a “murder.”
Biden, the second Catholic president in US history, was pushed back by a conservative US Catholic bishop to support access to reproductive rights. He met with the Pope multiple times throughout the presidency, and the two had close and supportive relationships.
Biden then awarded Pope Francis the special Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest civilian award, before resigning. He was expected to visit with the Pope of Rome during his inauguration last month, but cancelled the trip due to a California wildfire.
The Pope was heavily in the 2024 election, urging American Catholics to choose the “lower evil” of the candidate between President Trump and former vice president Harris.
“Women or men, who are the worse than that? I don’t know,” he said in September.
Francis has been troubled with the treatment of Republican immigrants and has expressed the view of the Catholic Church that immigrants should be welcomed and treated with dignity. He wrote in February criticizing Trump’s massive deportation plan, claiming that they left people vulnerable and vulnerable, and that they sought laws to help the most marginalized people.
Trump’s border emperor Tom Homan criticized the Pope at the time, saying that he should focus on amending the Catholic Church and leave border enforcement policies to the administration. But these same positions were welcomed by immigration rights advocates, including Capitol Hill Democrats.
“He was the first Jesuit, which helps the poor and brings a philosophy that focuses on issues like hunger and global poverty and end-of-war,” said Adriano Espillat (DN.Y.), head of the Hispanic Caucus in Congress. “His legacy is important.”
Part of that legacy was a 2015 visit to the United States, where Francis was greeted by former President Obama and then President Biden, attending a joint Congressional session. Another devout Catholic former House Speaker John Boehner has extended his invitation to Capitol Hill. The next day, Bohner announced his imminent resignation, citing the Pope’s visit as the pinnacle of his career.
He traveled on the same US visit.To PhiladelphiaWash the feet of prisoners inside the prison and meet with victims of sexual abuse.
His death begins a centuries-old Catholic ritual of lamenting and choosing new leaders of the church. Former Pope Benedict passed away in 2022, and the last sitting head of the Vatican to die was Pope John Paul II in 2005.
Confirmed by ringing the bell outside the Vatican, the Pope is taken to the Cardinal Chapel, now American, Kevin Joseph Farrell, to the chapel of the Cardinal, now American, for his family to mourn. Francis simplified them by rewriting the funeral rituals in 2024, seeking public viewing at St. Peter’s Cathedral, with the exception of private viewing for the Cardinals and church hierarchies, his co was not raised on a pedestal.
He also requested one co, made of one wood, in contrast to the three coses used by the other Popes, and, in contrast to the other Popes, be buried in the cathedral of Major St. Mary in Rome.New York Times. The Cardinals then gather for what is known as the “Conclave” 15-20 days after his death to choose a new Pope.
The traditional deliberations within the Sistine Chapel are hidden in secret, and all Cardinals under the age of 80 can vote in secret. When the Pope is elected by a majority count, white smoke is released through the chimney.
