Pope Francis dies at 88

Pope Francis, Argentine Jesuit, who became the first Roman Catholic Pope from America, died, said the Vatican on Monday. He was 88 years old.

In the video address, Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced messages. “The most expensive brothers and sisters with deep sadness I have to announce the death of our Saint Father Francis,” he said, as translated.

“At 7:35 This morning, the bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to his father's house. He was devoted to the service of the Lord and his church all his life. He taught us to live with the values ​​of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage and universal love, especially in favor of the earliest and marginalized,” said the cardinal.

“With great gratitude for his example as a real student of the Lord Jesus, we praise the soul of Pope Francis of the infinite merciful love of God's triune.”

Francis He died in his residence At Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. It is expected to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

The Pope was in bad health since February and was admitted to the Polyclinic Agostino Gemelli hospital on February 14, 2025 with bronchitis. On February 21, his medical team said he was fighting pneumonia in both lungs – Along with bacterial, viral and fungal infections, in addition to chronic bronchitis.

He left the hospital and returned to his Vatican residence after 38 days.

Franciszek's successor will be elected during the conclave, the College of Cardinals gathering, which is the task of choosing the next pope.

He was the first Jesuit pope and the first pope from the southern hemisphere. He was the first person outside Europe chosen to manage the church for almost 1,300 years, later Pope Grzegorz III from Syriawhich was elected in 731.

Son of the Italian father of immigrant and the Italian Argentine mother, Francis was the oldest of five children. As a student, he worked as a janitor and goalkeeper from the Night Club before he became a chemical technician.

Francis was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1969 and became the head of the Order of the Society of Jesus in Argentina and Uruguay in 1973 at the age of 36, taking position until 1979.

Pope John Paul II appointed Francis Bishop in 1992, and six years later Francis became the archbishop of Buenos Aires. In 2001, John Paul made him a cardinal.

Francis presided over the Catholic church in times of growing tension. In 2021, the US bishops developed a proposal that would refuse communion with the newly elected president Joe Biden for supporting the rights to abortion. Voting by the American conference of Catholic bishops in order to develop a plan came reservations Cardinal Luis Ladaria from the best doctrinal adviser to the Pope.

More than two months later Francis strongly indicated His opposition to the proposals of American bishops, telling journalists: “Communion is not a reward for the perfect.”

“I have never refused to anyone Eucharist,” said the Pope, calling bishops to be pastors, not politicians. “What does a pastor have to do?” he continued. “Be a pastor, do not go condemning. Be a pastor, because he is also a pastor for excommunicated ones.”

But he also strongly stated his opposition to abortion, calling it “murder”. “Whoever has an abortion, kills,” he said.

Although Francis tried to avoid the escalation of cultural wars and the polarization of his herd, he offered to encouraging words of LGBTQ+Catholics. Flying back to Rome from Portugal in August 2023, he told reporters that the Catholic Church was open to everyone And that he is obliged to accompany people on a personal path of spirituality within its principles.

During one event in Portugal, Francis advertised the integration nature of the Church, leading the crowd in the song “Todos, Todos, Todos!” (Everyone, everyone, everyone!).

Finished 2023, saying that priests can bless Steam of the same sexA serious change in the Vatican policy. The Pope said that such blessings should not resemble marriages, but people seeking the god of love and mercy should not be subject to “exhaustive moral analysis” to receive them.

He also wanted a greater role of women in the church, especially in high positions of the Vatican. In April 2023, he announced that he decided to give Women the right to vote At the upcoming meeting of bishops. It was a historic first and achieved two goals: giving women major decision -making duties and enabling the church to be laicinous.

When Francis was a young man, he had a part of the lungs removed from lung disease complications, a health problem Said the Vatican In 2013, he never influenced his work.

In recent years he had constant health problems, including various breathing problems, flu and many operations.

He was hospitalized for the first time as a pope, when he underwent the colon surgery on July 4, 2021 in the Gemelli Hospital for Diverticulum. The Vatican said the operation was planned, but the announcement caused shock waves by the church.

He was re -hospitalized at the end of March 2023 and treated bronchitis. He bought to journalists before he was detached that he was “still alive.” Just over two months later he had a hernia repair surgery.