Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and leader of the Catholic Church, has died at the Vatican Monday. He was 88.
Francis, the Bishop of Rome, died at 7:35 local time at the Vatican and “returned to the home of the Father,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said in an announcement.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute chief of staff and Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of liturgical ceremonies joined Farrell when he made the announcement at the Vatican.
“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 Father’s house. 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 faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalized. 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 God, One and Triune.”
Francis was diagnosed with chronic lung disease and had part of a lung removed when he was younger. He was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 for a respiratory episode that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days in the hospital.
He served as pope for 12 years and set a different tone for the papacy, focusing on humility for a Catholic Church facing scandals and accusations of indifference.
The Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope on March 13, 2013, and succeeded Pope Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation led to Francis’ election.
Francis reached out to the LGBTQ+ community and cracked down on traditionalists, which created tension with conservatives in the Catholic Church.
He was pope during the coronavirus pandemic and asked his followers to use it as an opportunity to review the economic and political framework that he said was turning the wealthy against the impoverished.
“We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented,” Francis told an empty St. Peter’s Square in March 2020. Part of his message included stressing the need for “all of us to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.”