The death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, marks the end of a papacy that redefined the Catholic Church’s role in the modern world. Revered for his humility, feared by some for his bold reforms, and cherished by millions across the globe for his compassion and clarity, Pope Francis was not just a religious leader—he was a spiritual force.

From Buenos Aires to Rome

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, in Flores, a working-class neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was the eldest of five children in a family of Italian immigrants. His father, Mario, worked as a railway accountant, while his mother, Regina, was a homemaker with deep religious convictions.

Early on, Jorge exhibited a keen intellect and a gentle soul. After studying chemistry, he felt a calling to religious life and entered the Society of Jesus in 1958. The Jesuits, known for their intellectual rigor, missionary zeal, and commitment to justice, would profoundly shape his spirituality. He was ordained a priest in 1969.

As Jesuit Provincial of Argentina (1973–1979), Bergoglio navigated the Church’s complex role during the nation’s Dirty War—a period marked by political repression and human rights violations. His actions during this time have sparked debate, but most agree he quietly worked to protect lives and safeguard the Church’s moral compass amid authoritarianism.

In 1992, he became auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, and by 1998, he was its archbishop. His pastoral style was deeply countercultural: he declined the use of a chauffeur-driven car and lived in a modest apartment instead of the episcopal palace. His days often began early with prayer and were spent among the poor in the city’s slums.

Elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II in 2001, Cardinal Bergoglio was known in the Vatican as a quiet but firm presence—a man of prayer, integrity, and a strong sense of justice.

His Papacy: A New Springtime for the Church

Election and Symbolism

On March 13, 2013, the conclave elected Bergoglio as the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He chose the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, a man of poverty, humility, and peace—a revolutionary choice that reflected the papacy’s new direction. From the very beginning, Pope Francis broke conventions: he appeared without the red mozzetta (the traditional papal cape), asked the people to pray for him before he blessed them, and later opted to live in the Vatican guesthouse rather than the Apostolic Palace.

Pastoral Style

Pope Francis saw himself first and foremost as a pastor. His speeches, homilies, and writings were marked by clarity, tenderness, and Gospel-centered realism. He urged priests to “smell like the sheep,” meaning they should live close to their people, particularly the poor, the suffering, and the marginalized.

Throughout his pontificate, he championed the “culture of encounter” and called for a “Church that goes forth” rather than one that hides behind doctrine. He became known for unexpected gestures: calling strangers, washing the feet of prisoners, embracing the sick, and making surprise visits to homeless shelters.

A Reformer at Heart

Francis undertook significant reforms in the Vatican bureaucracy, aiming to make the Curia more transparent, accountable, and spiritually focused. He launched investigations into financial mismanagement, consolidated departments, and emphasized synodality—shared decision-making among bishops and laypeople.

The Synods on the Family (2014–2015) and the Synod on Synodality (2021–2023) embodied this vision. Though sometimes divisive, these gatherings reflected his desire for a listening Church. His papacy consistently challenged clericalism, centralism, and rigid moralism, favoring instead a Church “like a field hospital after battle.”

Major Writings and Theological Vision

Francis’s writings are not abstract treatises but living documents, filled with concrete language, pastoral insight, and prophetic urgency. Some of the most impactful include:

1. Evangelii Gaudium (2013) – The Joy of the Gospel

This apostolic exhortation served as his manifesto. It urged a missionary transformation of the Church and prioritized the proclamation of the Gospel over institutional self-preservation. “An evangelizer,” he wrote, “must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral.” He critiqued consumerism, inequality, and spiritual worldliness, calling instead for a Church that finds joy in reaching the forgotten.

2. Laudato Si’ (2015) – On Care for Our Common Home

Perhaps his most globally acclaimed document, this encyclical framed environmental degradation as a moral and spiritual crisis. Francis united faith and science in calling for ecological conversion, responsible stewardship, and solidarity with the poor, who suffer the most from climate change. He popularized the term “integral ecology” and invoked Saint Francis’s love for all creation.

3. Amoris Laetitia (2016) – The Joy of Love

Following the Synods on the Family, this document presented a vision of marriage and family life rooted in mercy, realism, and pastoral care. While reaffirming Church teachings, it opened space for discernment in complex situations and emphasized love over legalism.

4. Fratelli Tutti (2020) – On Fraternity and Social Friendship

Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, this encyclical promoted global solidarity, criticized economic exclusion and populism, and advocated for political love rooted in justice and truth. It envisioned a world without borders in which human dignity is paramount.

5. Dilexit Nos (2024) – He Loved Us

His final encyclical, published shortly before his death, was a profound reflection on the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It warned of the dangers of narcissism, technologization, and spiritual isolation. In it, Francis returned to his roots as a Jesuit priest: prayer, interior conversion, and love as the meaning of existence.

Global Impact and Challenges

Pope Francis visited over 50 countries during his papacy, often prioritizing war-torn or impoverished regions. He visited refugee camps, spoke against the arms trade, and called for interreligious dialogue—particularly with Islam and Judaism.

He also navigated controversies: debates around divorced and remarried Catholics, resistance to liturgical and governance reforms, tensions with conservative theologians, etc. Yet despite opposition, he never wavered in his pastoral tone or his desire to make the Church more inclusive and merciful.

A Vincentian Heart: In the Spirit of Saint Vincent de Paul

Pope Francis shared a profound resonance with the Vincentian charism. Like Saint Vincent de Paul, he viewed service to the poor not as optional but as the very essence of Christian life. His emphasis on systemic change, his understanding of charity as justice, and his call to “accompany the poor” echo Vincent’s own convictions.

Francis’s frequent phrase “the peripheries” could well be translated into Vincentian language as “the poor are our masters.” His vision of a Church that listens, walks, and serves mirrors the spirituality of Saint Louise de Marillac and Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, as well—figures who, like Francis, saw Christ in the hungry, the sick, the abandoned.

A Pope for the Ages

Pope Francis did not seek greatness. He sought faithfulness. He reminded the Church—and the world—that the Gospel is alive, radical, and liberating. He leaves behind not just teachings but a way of being: one marked by tenderness, listening, and joyful service.

As the bells of Saint Peter’s Basilica toll for the man from Buenos Aires who became bishop of Rome, the world mourns—but it also remembers. Pope Francis called us to build bridges, heal wounds, protect creation, and never lose hope. He now rests in the arms of the God he served with his whole life.

May his soul rest in peace. And may his memory continue to inspire a Church that, like him, walks humbly with God and boldly toward the margins.

— – —

At 9:47 a.m. local time in Rome, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis with these words:

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.