Pope Francis, a voice for the poor who overcame fierce resistance to reshape the Catholic Church, died on Monday, the Vatican announced. He was 88.
Francis was elected in 2013 after Benedict XVI retired. He was the first Latin American pope in history and the first from the Americas. Before he was pope, he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires.
He chose the name Francis to honor St. Francis of Assisi, who is revered among Catholics for his work with the poor.
As pope, Francis championed the poor, migrants and the environment, and he quickly gained a reputation as a modernizer, with an outward-facing approach that saw him speak out boldly on humanitarian crises such as migration, war and climate change. He also sought to reform the church by tackling elitist mentalities among the clergy, demanding a compassionate approach to divorced and gay Catholics and insisting that the church welcome everyone.
Francis, seen at left with his brother Oscar, was born on December 17, 1936. He was the eldest child of Mario and Regina Bergoglio, Italian immigrants in Argentina. Family Photo
Francis as a young boy. Family Photo
Francis with his parents in 1958.
Francis was ordained as a priest in 1969. In high school, he studied to become a chemical technician.
Francis poses for a photo during an Easter procession in 2000. A couple of years earlier he had become the archbishop of Buenos Aires.
In 2001, Francis was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II.
Francis greets parishioners in Buenos Aires.
The future pope washes a woman’s feet at a maternity hospital in Buenos Aires in 2005.
Francis meets Pope Benedict XVI, the man he would eventually succeed, while on a trip to the Vatican in 2007.
Francis takes public transportation before celebrating Mass in Buenos Aires in 2008. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio took the bus to work and cooked his own meals.
Francis holds Mass outside a church in Buenos Aires in 2009.
Francis gives holy communion to Roberto Bendini, Argentina’s former army chief, in 2009.
Francis waves to the crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after he was elected as the 266th pope on March 13, 2013. Benedict XVI had announced his retirement a month earlier, citing his “advanced age.”
People watch the new pope after he was introduced at the Vatican. In addition to being the first Latin American pope and the first from the Americas, Francis is also the first Jesuit pope. He’s also the first non-European pope in more than 1,000 years.
A day after his election, the pope pays his lodging bill at the Paulus VI, where he stayed during conclave.
The pope answers reporters’ questions while flying back from a trip to Brazil in July 2013. During the impromptu news conference, the pope said that he would not “judge” gays and lesbians, including gay priests. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” he said. Many saw the move as the opening of a more tolerant era in the Catholic Church.
In November 2013, the pope dons a red nose with members of the Rainbow Association Marco Iagulli Onlus. The charity uses clown therapy in hospitals, nursing homes and orphanages.
Francis was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2013. “For pulling the papacy out of the palace and into the streets, for committing the world’s largest church to confronting its deepest needs and for balancing judgment with mercy, Pope Francis is TIME’s 2013 Person of the Year,” wrote managing editor Nancy Gibbs.
The pope is presented with a gift by Argentine President Cristina Fernández during a private audience at the Vatican in March 2014.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip have an audience with the pope during their one-day visit to Rome in April 2014.
Francis prays next to a rabbi at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City in May 2014. The pope went on a three-day trip to the Holy Land, and he was accompanied by Jewish and Muslim leaders from his home country of Argentina.
The pope signs a guestbook while meeting with bishops in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2014.
The pope kisses a girl during a special audience at the Vatican in November 2014.
Pope Francis pauses in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square in November 2014.
Francis blows out candles on a cake as he celebrated his 78th birthday in December 2014.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, right, greets Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica in February 2015.
Pope Francis prays on the floor of St. Peter’s Basilica while observing Good Friday in April 2015.
People in Quito, Ecuador, gather near a huge video screen broadcasting the pope’s visit to the city in July 2015.
Francis shakes hands with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro in September 2015. During his trip to Cuba, the pope praised the reconciliations taking place between Cuba and the United States.
Francis addresses a joint session of the US Congress in September 2015. He challenged America to embrace millions of undocumented immigrants and join a global campaign against climate change and poverty.
The pope walks with US President Barack Obama prior to an Oval Office meeting at the White House in September 2015. It was his first trip to the United States. During the trip, Francis also visited St. Matthew’s Cathedral and held a Mass on the grounds of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
The pope waves to a crowd from the US Capitol in September 2015.
Pope Francis speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. During his speech, he urged world leaders to adopt concrete solutions to combat widespread poverty and environmental destruction.
The pope celebrates Mass at New York’s Madison Square Garden during his trip to the United States.
The pope kisses a baby at the Vatican in October 2015.
The pope opens the Holy Door to mark the opening of the Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica in December 2015.
Francis tries on a traditional sombrero he received as a gift from a Mexican journalist while on a flight to the country in February 2016.
Pope Francis makes a public appearance on the day he was discharged from the Gemelli Hospital in Rome in March 2025. Though he looked frail and struggled to speak, he addressed the crowd outside the hospital, thanking them and acknowledging one woman in the crowd who was holding flowers. He also gave a blessing, though he appeared to have some difficulty raising his arms.
Pope Francis attends Easter Sunday Mass and delivers the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from St. Peter’s Square.
