Pope Francis Dies Hours After Blessing Easter Sunday Crowds

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the head of the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Rome, and sovereign of the Vatican City State, has died at the age of 88.

Vatican News said that the Pope died in his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta on Monday, April 21. It came a day after he met U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and appeared briefly to bless the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.

His death comes a month after he was discharged from hospital after 38 days where he was being treated for double pneumonia.

 

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Francis made history as the first pope to be a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first pope from outside Europe since the 8th century.

Pope Francis had a litany of health problems involving his colon, his knee, and most recently, his respiratory system. 

In 2020, he reportedly had sciatica issues that led into 2021 and colon problems that stemmed from a diverticulitis diagnosis. A few months later, in 2022, reports of a knee injury began to surface, which affected his ability to hold conferences and greet his audience so much that he began canceling appearances the following month. 

At the beginning of May 2022, Francis announced he would undergo knee surgery and used a wheelchair in public since his colon surgery last year. In August of that same year, he was appointed a personal healthcare assistant. 

In February 2023, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had a “strong cold” that was described as a respiratory infection in March. He remained in the hospital for ten days before he was discharged. “[I’m] still alive, you know!” he quipped to a reporter as he left the Rome hospital.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis initially worked as a janitor and a bouncer before undergoing training as a chemist and taking up a career as a food science technician. He worked as a bouncer in his hometown in order to support himself as a student while attempting to become a priest.,  After becoming gravely ill and recovering, Francis joined the Jesuits in 1958 and organized a Catholic priest in 1969. In 1973 he became  Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina and Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 before creating a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.

Leading the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina and being seen as a rival for the Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner administration made him the perfect candidate to succeed Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation. The then 76-year-old chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. 

Francis upheld the Church’s stance on women’s ordination as priests but explored the possibility of deaconesses and promoted women’s inclusion in Roman Curia dicasteries. He advocated for greater acceptance and inclusion of LGBT individuals and advocated for the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide. Francis criticized unregulated capitalism, consumerism, and overdevelopment while urging action on climate change. In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Francis condemned the death penalty as “inadmissible” and called for its global abolition. In international diplomacy, he helped restore diplomatic ties between the US and Cuba, supported refugees during migrant crises, and made a deal with China on appointing Catholic bishops. 

The Pope’s television credits include PBS’ Inside the Vatican, which was filmed over the course of the fifth year of his pontificate, NatGeo’s Before the Flood, Ancient Aliens, Inviaggo: The Travels of Pope Francis, and Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi.

In the biographical drama film “The Two Popes” (2019), the role of Francis is portrayed by Jonathan Pryce. He stars alongside Anthony Hopkins, who portrays Pope Benedict XVI.

As of 2015, two biographical films had been made about Francis: Call Me Francesco (Italy, 2015), starring Rodrigo de la Serna, and Francis: Pray for Me (Argentina, 2015), starring Darío Grandinetti.

The documentary film Pope Francis: A Man of His Word is a Swiss-Italian-French-German co-production, co-written and directed by Wim Wenders, featuring extensive interviews and archive footage.

Francesco, a documentary describing his life and teachings directed by film producer Evgeny Afineevsky, premiered on October 21, 2020.

On October 4, 2022, the documentary The Letter: A Message for Our Earth premiered on YouTube Originals. Directed by Nicolas Brown and produced by Off The Fence in partnership with Laudato Si’ Movement.