All around the world, bells tolled honoring a humble visionary from Argentina. According to AP News, Pope Francis passed away on Monday, April 21, 2025 at 7:35 a.m. in his home at the chapel of the Domus Santa Maria. The announcement came from Cardinal Kevin Farrell. The 88-year-old had suffered a stroke and entered a coma where his heart failed. The pope made his final public appearance the day prior, when he blessed thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square for Easter Mass. USA Today reports that though he was weak, he was still determined to be there for the people as he has done for his entire life.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Dec. 17, 1932 to Italian immigrants. According to Britannica, he studied to become a technical engineer in high school. After high school, he worked in the food processing industry. However, he had always felt called to the church. At 21 years old, he suffered a serious case of pneumonia which led to the removal of his right lung. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1958 and studied humanities in Santiago, Chile, and earned a licentiate (equivalent to a master’s degree) in philosophy in the province of Buenos Aires. After graduation, he taught literature and psychology in high school while pursuing a degree in theology. He was ordained a priest in 1969, took his final vows in the Jesuit order in 1973, and subsequently served as head of the Jesuit province of Argentina from 1973 to 1979.
During the Dirty War, a campaign by Argentina’s military dictatorship against leftists, tens of thousands of people were kidnapped, tortured, and killed by the military. Bergoglio hid several people from the authorities and helped them flee the country. In doing so, he risked his own life but that didn;t matter as long as the people were safe.
In the 1980s, Bergoglio served as a seminary teacher while pursuing his graduate studies in theology in Germany. In 1992 he was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. He was named archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was consecrated a cardinal in 2001.
During the economic crisis in Argentina beginning in the late 1990s, Bergoglio was known for his humility. He lived in a simple downtown apartment and traveled by public transportation or by foot. He became an outspoken advocate for the poor and an able politician.
According to USA Today, on February 28, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI resigned due to old age. The conclave convened five times before electing Bergoglio as the 266th pope on March 13, 2013. Bergoglio was 76 years old when he was anointed as pope. An hour after white smoke rose over the Vatican signaling that the conclave had picked a new pope, Bergoglio appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Beroglio had become the first Latin American pope in the history of the Church.
Each pope chooses a new name to be called as pope. The Hindustan Times reports that when he was elected to the papacy, Bergoglio chose the name Francis. He chose this name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century saint who is characterized by his poverty, humility, and advocacy for peace. Much like St. Francis of Assisi, Francis spoke for the impoverished and wanted to help them. During the conclave, Cardinal Cláudio Hummes of Brazil urged Bergoglio stating “Don’t forget the poor.” In that moment, Francis picked his name to honor that saint that remembered the poor.
Francis realized that the Church had become too divisive and alienated minorities. He wanted change, so he created it. The Guardian states that previous popes had refused to handle the clerical sexual abuse scandal that had stained the reputation of the Catholic Church. However, Francis addressed it. He summoned all accused bishops to Rome and dismissed many due to their mishandling of abuse cases. He established a papal commission to create procedures and adopted a “zero tolerance” policy for dealing with sexual abuse cases.
The Union for Reform Judaism states that Francis spoke out against laws that criminalized homosexuality, stating that God loves all of his children just how they are. He prioritized climate change, stating that the climate crisis was a religious matter. He honored the shared history between Catholics and Jews and helped the relationship between the two religions flourish.
Francis was always deeply concerned with migrants and made it a priority of his pontificate to address the crisis. According to AP News, on Feb. 11, 2025, in the midst of his illness, Francis spoke out against the Trump administration. He sent letters to U.S. bishops stating his disdain of the border crackdown. He took direct aim at Vice President JD Vance’s support of the deportation program stating that it went against the Church’s theological beliefs. Tom Homan, known as the U.S. “border czar”, responded disrespectfully, stating that the Vatican is a city surrounded by walls. He demanded the pope leave border issues to him. Francis and president Trump have fought over migrants and borders since Trump’s first presidency in 2016.
Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the pope urged Russia for peace. Throughout the war he continued that message, wishing for peace at almost every public appearance, including his final address to the public. Reuters states that he called out the Russian Orthodox Church that is close to the Russian state and told its head to not become the Kremlin’s “altar boy.” However, he never outwardly took Ukraine’s side and never called out Russia as the aggressor of the war. This angered many Ukrainian Catholics because they felt he was never truly supporting them. Francis never condemned Putin and they were very angered.
Similarly to the Ukrainian war, Al Jazeera states the pope wanted peace in Gaza. He closed his blessing in St. Peter’s Square on April 20 by calling for “appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!” He also felt strongly for the Christians in Gaza. CNN reports that since war broke out in Gaza, Francis had called the Holy Family Church in Gaza every night making sure that everyone was okay. He kept this up until he died. While the number of Christians in Gaza dwindled, those who stayed are grateful for the pope’s kindness. The last call lasted only 30 seconds, but they still felt the love the pope had for them.
Over the last few months, Francis had dealt with many health issues that led to his death. Yahoo News says that on Feb. 5, 2025, Francis spoke through a messenger telling the public that he was suffering from a severe cold and had trouble speaking. The Vatican later confirmed it was bronchitis. On Feb. 14, Francis was admitted to Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic for some tests which later confirmed that Francis had a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection. On Feb. 18, the Pope was hospitalized with bilateral pneumonia where he stayed for 38 days. On Feb. 22, Francis went into critical condition from an asthmatic respiratory crisis but received treatment. He stayed in the hospital for an extended period, due to needing lots of oxygen. On March 23, Francis was released from the hospital in a wheelchair. On April 6, he made his first public appearance since being discharged. Throughout the next couple weeks, Francis made brief and rare public appearances. While he was not able to do many of the things he could previously do, like wash feet in a prison as Jesus once did, he wanted to be present at important events. The Vatican reported that he had been improving. On April 20, the pope blessed thousands of people during the Easter Mass. The next morning, his death was announced.
Francis was not perfect. He made many mistakes throughout his papacy. For example, initially, he focused less on victims and more on the image of the Church in regards to the sexual abuse cases. But despite his mistakes, Francis changed the Church. He made it more open and connected it back to the people. He supported minorities and those in need while remaining humble and down-to-earth himself. Francis may be gone, but the legacy that he left behind will remain for years to come.
On May 8 2025, Pope Leo XIV was elected through the conclave as the new pope. The world is waiting with anticipation and hope that he will continue Francis’ legacy to make the Catholic Church even better. Hopefully Leo will let the Catholic church that Francis tried to create remain in the minds of people all around the world. As the bells chime from his home in the city of Rome, to his hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to remote islands like the Philippines, people honor and remember the visionary who spent his whole life caring for those who needed it most and who never stopped doing what was right.
