Pope Francis, champion of the poor and reformist leader, dies at 88

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 and regarded as one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the 21st century, has passed away at the age of 88.

Celebrated for his humility and reform-minded leadership, he ushered in a new era for the Catholic Church after his election to the papacy in 2013.

Humble beginnings

The pope’s story began in the working-class neighborhood of Flores in Buenos Aires, where he was born into a family of Italian immigrants.

As a young man, he experienced firsthand the struggles of Argentina’s less fortunate — a perspective that deeply shaped his lifelong commitment to social justice and the marginalized.

Bergoglio was ordained a priest in 1969 and made his final vows in the Jesuit order in 1973. He served as superior of the Jesuit province of Argentina from 1973 to 1979, during a turbulent period marked by a military coup and the so-called Dirty War — a time when thousands were kidnapped, tortured, and killed.

During this same period, the Jesuits, led globally by Superior General Pedro Arrupe, began to refocus their mission on serving the poor — a principle that Bergoglio carried with him throughout his life.

He was appointed Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and elevated to cardinal in 2001.

A papacy defined by compassion

When Bergoglio was elected as pope in 2013, he immediately captured global attention with his humility and simplicity. His first public appearance — wearing only a plain white cassock and greeting the crowd with a gentle “Buona sera” — set the tone for a papacy rooted in service.

He took the name “Francis” in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the saint renowned for his devotion to poverty, nature, and the marginalized. It was a deliberate and symbolic choice that reflected his mission as pope: to serve, not to rule.

“Every Sunday, during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, we have done the same thing, pooling our offerings so that the community can provide for the needs of the poor,” Pope Francis wrote in his 2022 message for the 6th World Day of the Poor. “It is something that Christians have always done with joy and a sense of responsibility, to ensure that none of our brothers or sisters will lack the necessities of life.”

Pope Francis consistently placed the poor, the sick, and the forgotten at the center of his ministry. He condemned global inequality and called on the Church and world leaders to address poverty, social injustice, and the plight of migrants and refugees.

“Our faith should lead us to open our eyes to the sufferings of the world and the misfortunes of the poor, and so exercise the very compassion of Jesus Christ,” he said during a 2024 Mass for the World Day of the Poor in St. Peter’s Basilica.

One of his notable advocacies was the "Centro Astalli," a Jesuit-run refugee center in Rome that offers support and services to displaced individuals and families.

His apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium ("The Joy of the Gospel") encapsulates his vision for a more inclusive and compassionate Church — one that challenges systems of inequality and prioritizes the needs of the most vulnerable.