Pope Francis Passes Away At 88 — Remembered for His Simplicity, Kindness and Bold Reforms

Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, died Monday, April 21, in Vatican City, Italy. He was 88.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived.

He picked up his own phone, shunned limos and preferred to walk. If he had to go in a vehicle, he took a bus. Instead of living in splendor like the popes before him, he lived in two small rooms in the Vatican.

He called capitalism “greed looking for easy gain.”

Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital Feb. 14, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.

He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday — a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, drawing wild cheers and applause. Beforehand, he met U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

The Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought a breath of fresh air into a 2,000-year-old institution, but conservatives grew increasingly upset with his progressive bent and outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics.

He sent a message of welcome to the LGBTQ+ community and those who felt shunned by a church that had stressed sexual propriety over unconditional love.

“Being homosexual is not a crime,” he said in 2023, urging an end to civil laws that criminalize it. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Francis also changed the church’s official position on the death penalty, calling it inadmissible in all circumstances. He also declared the possession of nuclear weapons, not just their use, was “immoral.”

Francis’ death sets off a weeks-long process of allowing the faithful to pay their final respects, first for Vatican officials in the Santa Marta chapel and then in St. Peter’s for the general public, followed by a funeral and a conclave to elect a new pope.