Monday, April 21, 2025, 6:30 AM EDT – As dawn breaks on this Monday after Easter, a somber reality settles over Vatican City and echoes around the globe. Pope Francis, the Argentine pontiff whose humble demeanor and focus on the marginalized reshaped the image of the papacy for millions, has died. He passed away early this morning at the age of 88 in his residence at the Domus Santa Marta, following a severe respiratory illness. The tolling bells in Rome mark the end of a historic 12-year papacy that began with a simple “Buonasera” and unfolded with a consistent, often challenging, call for mercy, inclusion, and care for the planet.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio became history’s first Latin American pope on March 13, 2013, inheriting a Catholic Church grappling with scandal and a sense of drift after the stunning resignation of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. From that first rainy night on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis signaled a different path. Choosing his name after St. Francis of Assisi, the medieval friar synonymous with poverty, peace, and love for creation, he eschewed the ornate trappings of the office, living in the Vatican hotel instead of the Apostolic Palace, wearing simple shoes, and riding in modest cars.
His focus was relentlessly outward, towards those on the peripheries. “For Pope Francis, it was always to extend the arms of the church to embrace all people, not to exclude anyone,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo who announced his death, reflected this morning. This commitment saw Francis championing the cause of migrants and refugees, making his first papal trip to the Italian island of Lampedusa, then a symbol of Europe’s migration crisis. He consistently challenged wealthy nations to open their doors and hearts, famously declaring during the 2016 US election campaign that building walls “is not Christian.”
His concern extended deeply to economic justice, drawing directly from the Beatitudes. He denounced trickle-down economics and what he termed a “structurally perverse” global system that exploited the poor. “Money must serve, not rule!” he insisted, a message that resonated powerfully across the Global South and among social justice advocates worldwide. “He lived the Gospel message of siding with the poor,” might echo the sentiment of a leader from a Catholic relief agency today. “He wasn’t afraid to get his shoes dirty, to challenge unjust economic systems, and to remind us constantly that the Church must be a ‘field hospital’ for the wounded.”
This focus also encompassed the environment. His 2015 encyclical, “Laudato Si'” (Praised Be), was a landmark call for global action on climate change, framing care for creation as an urgent moral and spiritual duty. He linked environmental degradation directly to the plight of the poor, arguing that both stemmed from a culture of waste and indifference. A prominent climate scientist might reflect today, ‘Praised Be’ was a watershed moment, linking ecological crisis with social justice in a way that resonated far beyond the Church. He understood that caring for our common home is a moral imperative.”
Francis sought to foster dialogue across divides. He met with the Russian Orthodox patriarch, charted new relations with the Muslim world, visiting the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq, and forged historic bonds. A figure like the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, with whom Francis signed a key document on human fraternity, might state, “With Pope Francis, we found a true brother committed to dialogue and mutual understanding. His visit to Abu Dhabi was historic, forging bonds of fraternity that endure.” He also reached out to Indigenous peoples, formally apologizing for the Church’s role in colonial-era abuses, a gesture acknowledged by Indigenous leaders as a significant, if overdue, step toward reconciliation.
His famous off-the-cuff remark, “Who am I to judge?” regarding a gay person seeking God, signaled a significant shift in tone towards LGBTQ+ Catholics, even while official doctrine remained unchanged. He later called for the decriminalization of homosexuality globally. While doctrinal change remained elusive, many felt his approach opened doors. An advocate might cautiously note, “Pope Francis’s ‘Who am I to judge?’ fundamentally shifted the tone, opening doors for dialogue and pastoral care that were previously slammed shut. He offered a message of inclusion, however incomplete, that touched many lives.” He also increased the roles for women in Vatican decision-making, allowing them to vote in synods for the first time.
Yet, his papacy was not without deep struggles and controversy. His initial handling of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, particularly in Chile, drew sharp criticism and caused immense pain, leading him to a public mea culpa. While he later enacted reforms aimed at holding bishops accountable and defrocking high-profile abusers like Theodore McCarrick, survivor groups maintained that systemic change remained incomplete. Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean survivor who developed a complex relationship with Francis, might reflect, “He wasn’t perfect on abuse, but he listened, he learned, and he sincerely tried to enact change.”
His pastoral approach, emphasizing mercy and discernment over rigid rules – seen in his openings towards divorced and remarried Catholics receiving sacraments and his approval of blessings for same-sex couples – alienated conservative factions within the Church. They accused him of diluting doctrine and sowing confusion, with some openly challenging his authority. His restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass, reversing a move by Benedict XVI, further inflamed these tensions.
Francis endured significant health problems, particularly in his later years, undergoing colon surgery, hernia repair, and battling respiratory issues, including the final illness that began in February. He frequently used a wheelchair but remained remarkably active, undertaking demanding international trips. His final public act, the Easter blessing delivered just yesterday after a lengthy hospital stay, followed by an energetic ride through St. Peter’s Square, was a testament to his enduring spirit and connection with the faithful.
Today, the Vatican begins the solemn rites that follow a pope’s death, leading towards a conclave to elect his successor. The legacy Francis leaves is complex – a beloved figure to millions for his humility and focus on the poor, a controversial one for those who resisted his challenges to tradition and economic structures. But few would deny the profound impact of the first Jesuit, first Latin American pope, who sought to bring the Church out into the streets, to be a field hospital tending to the wounds of a suffering world, constantly reminding everyone – todos, todos, todos – that they belong.
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