Jorge Mario Bergoglio, widely known as Pope Francis, has passed away, marking the end of a significant era. Born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio was the eldest of five children to Italian immigrants. His journey in the clergy began on December 13, 1969, when he was ordained as a priest in the Jesuit order, eventually leading it as Argentina’s provincial superior during the country’s tumultuous dictatorship in the 1970s.
On May 20, 1992, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, succeeding Cardinal Antonio Quarracino as archbishop in 1998. His elevation to cardinal came on February 21, 2001. In May 2007, he played a crucial role in drafting a document for the Latin American bishops conference in Brazil, which outlined his future papal priorities focused on poverty, Indigenous populations, and environmental issues.
On March 13, 2013, Bergoglio was elected as the 266th pope, becoming the first from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope, and the first to take the name Francis, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi. He created a council of eight cardinals on April 13, 2013, to assist in governing the Church and reorganizing its bureaucracy. His early papacy was marked by significant events, including the canonization of the ‘Martyrs of Otranto’ on May 12, 2013, and his first trip outside Rome to Lampedusa on July 8, 2013, where he criticized the global indifference to migrants.
Pope Francis signaled a more inclusive approach towards the LGBTQ+ community on July 30, 2013, and issued a mission statement for his papacy on November 26, 2013, advocating for the poor and criticizing the global financial system. In a gesture of support for the Palestinian cause, he prayed at a wall separating Israel from the West Bank on May 25, 2014. On June 8, 2014, he hosted Israeli and Palestinian leaders for peace prayers at the Vatican.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis addressed various social issues. He accepted the resignation of Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien on March 20, 2015, following sexual misconduct allegations. His environmental manifesto ‘Laudato Si,’ released on June 18, 2015, called for a cultural shift to address economic exploitation and environmental degradation. His visit to Bolivia on July 10, 2015, included an apology for the Church’s historical wrongs against Indigenous peoples.
Pope Francis overhauled the annulment process on September 8, 2015, to facilitate remarriage in the Church. In a historic address to the U.S. Congress on September 24, 2015, he urged action on climate change and poverty. The Jubilee of Mercy began on November 29, 2015, with the opening of the Holy Door in the Central African Republic.
In 2016, he met Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and prayed for migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. His document ‘Amoris Laetitia,’ released on April 8, 2016, opened the possibility for divorced Catholics to receive Communion. During a visit to Greece on April 16, 2016, he brought Syrian refugees to Rome, advocating for migrant solidarity.
Pope Francis faced criticism from conservative cardinals in September 2016 over his stance on divorced and remarried Catholics. He also addressed the plight of Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees in December 2017. A major challenge to his papacy was the sexual abuse scandal in Chile, which he addressed in 2018 by admitting judgment errors and securing resignations from Chilean bishops.
In August 2018, he declared the death penalty inadmissible, marking a significant shift in Church teaching. The McCarrick scandal saw decisive actions, including McCarrick’s defrocking in 2019. Pope Francis championed numerous reforms, including a law requiring internal reporting of clergy sex abuse and procedures for investigating high-ranking clergy.
His papacy also highlighted interfaith relations, with the signing of the ‘Human Fraternity’ document in 2019. He addressed nuclear disarmament during a visit to Japan and abolished the ‘pontifical secret’ in abuse cases in December 2019.
Pope Francis faced health challenges in his later years, undergoing surgeries in 2021 and battling respiratory issues in 2023. His final years saw continued advocacy for Church responsiveness, ecological concerns, and social justice, culminating in significant events such as the opening of a synod in October 2023.
Despite health setbacks, Pope Francis remained committed to his mission, spending time with the marginalized even as he recovered. His dedication to addressing global issues and reforming the Church leaves a lasting legacy.