Pope Francis dead at 88, Vatican says

Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome and ultimate pontiff of the Catholic Church, who worked to instill progressive influences connected the planetary religion portion maintaining unity with conservatives amid years of turmoil, died Monday morning, Vatican camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced. 

He was 88 years old.

"Dearest brothers and sisters, with heavy sorrow I indispensable denote the decease of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the location of the Father. His full beingness was dedicated to the work of the Lord and His Church," Farrell announced.

"He taught america to unrecorded the values ​​of the Gospel with fidelity, courageousness and cosmopolitan love, particularly successful favour of the poorest and astir marginalized. With immense gratitude for his illustration arsenic a existent disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the psyche of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful emotion of the One and Triune God."

The pope preached often connected the Catholic virtues of mercy, kindness and humility. He did not shy distant from contention and American presidents, including Donald Trump and Joe Biden, were not immune from his views. 

Less than a period into President Donald Trump’s presidency, the pontiff criticized the Republican’s plans for the wide deportations of migrants, stressing that the forceful removal of radical simply for their migration presumption deprives them of their inherent dignity and "will extremity badly." 

In a strongly worded letter to U.S. Catholic Bishops, the pope appeared to antagonistic remarks made by Vice President JD Vance -- who had precocious converted to Catholicism -- aft helium suggested Americans should attraction for family, communities and the state earlier caring astir others. 

"Christian emotion is not a concentric enlargement of interests that small by small widen to different persons and groups," the pontiff wrote. "Worrying astir personal, assemblage oregon nationalist identity, isolated from these consideration." 

POPE FRANCIS EXPOSES CONFIDENTIAL DETAILS ABOUT HIS ELECTION AND RELATIONSHIPS IN LENGTHY INTERVIEW 

Pope Francis meets with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and pastoral workers successful Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Cathedral successful Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, connected Sept. 15, 2022. (Reuters/Pavel Mikheyev)

Pope Francis successful 2015 became the archetypal pontiff to ever code a Joint Meeting of Congress wherever helium spoke connected a scope of topics including immigration, family, the decease penalty, clime change, extremism, spiritual state and the exile crisis. 

He joined American bishops and urged American leaders to abolish superior punishment and said Congress has a "role to play" successful addressing planetary warming. 

In 2022 helium questioned past President Biden's conscience connected termination successful an interrogation during which helium described the commander-in-chief's spiritual individuality and views connected termination arsenic incoherent. "A period aft conception, the DNA of the fetus is already determination and the organs are aligned. There is quality life," the pontiff said successful the interrogation with Spanish-language outlet Univision. 

He besides weighed successful connected campaigner Trump and Harris during the predetermination run wherever helium bashed them some arsenic saying, "Both are against life, beryllium it the 1 who kicks retired migrants, oregon beryllium it the 1 who kills babies,″ helium said according to the Associated Press. 

Candles with pictures of Pope Francis are the laid nether the statue of precocious Pope John Paul II extracurricular Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic successful Rome connected Feb. 19, 2025, wherever the Pontiff has been hospitalized since Feb. 14. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)

Just weeks earlier President Trump’s 2nd inauguration, helium appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy to beryllium the Archbishop of Washington. McElroy had been captious of Trump’s migration policies during his archetypal word arsenic president. 

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio successful 1936 to Italian migrant parents successful Argentina, Francis made past arsenic the archetypal pope from the Americas — arsenic good arsenic the archetypal Jesuit to clasp the office.  

He was elected pope successful 2013 aft the astir unprecedented status of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.  

Bergolio’s father, Mario, was an accountant for the railway manufacture and his mother, Regina, was a homemaker and caregiver for her 5 children.  

POPE FRANCIS FUELS NEW SPECULATION ON FUTURE OF PONTIFICATE 

Pope Francis, calved arsenic Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is shown present with his family. From near to right, standing, member Alberto Horacio, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Oscar Adrian and sister Marta Regina, sitting, sister Maria Elena, parent Regina and begetter Mario Jose Francisco. (API/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Throughout his aboriginal years, the aboriginal pope worked a fig of menial jobs. He labored concisely successful the stocking mill wherever his begetter was an accountant earlier moving connected to different opportunities, including jobs arsenic a barroom bouncer and janitor.  

He yet sought a vocation arsenic a chemic technician, receiving a diploma successful chemistry from the secondary schoolhouse Escuela Técnica Industrial N° 27 Hipólito Yrigoyen. He besides worked concisely successful a nutrient laboratory. However, his vocation successful chemistry was short-lived. 

He entered the priesthood astatine the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto successful Argentina. Francis was ordained a clergyman successful 1969 and made his last assemblage with the Society of Jesus, besides known arsenic the Jesuits, successful 1973. The aforesaid year, helium was appointed arsenic a provincial for the order.  

His assignment arsenic provincial was concurrent with the Dirty War, a play of aggravated state-led persecution of left-wing leaders and governmental dissidents. Bergolio experienced changeless threats to his ain information arsenic helium worked to fell oregon assistance successful the flight of authorities targets, including galore Catholic faithful.  

Pope Francis' is simply a instrumentality of Argentina's San Lorenzo Futbol Club. (API/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

During this time, 2 Jesuit priests nether his supervision were disappeared by the government, drugged, and near hardly live successful a tract 5 months aft their kidnapping. Pope Francis has said helium was forced to negociate with the authorities for their release.  

Bergolio would walk the adjacent 2 decades bouncing from presumption to presumption astatine the absorption of his superiors. During this time, helium served arsenic a prof of theology, seminary instructor, rector, doctoral student, and parish priest.  

In 1992, Pope John Paul II appointed Bergolio arsenic titular Bishop of Auca and arsenic an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. This was done astatine the petition of Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who consecrated him to the episcopacy.  

Bergoglio proved captious to the nation’s Catholic assemblage and helium was rapidly raised to the dignity of Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires, serving alongside Quarracino and taking implicit the archdiocese wholly aft his decease the adjacent year.  

Bergoglio was fixed the crimson chapeau of a cardinal by Pope John Paul II successful 2001.  

In 2013, aft the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Bergoglio was elected to the papacy, selecting the pontifical sanction "Francis" aft St. Francis of Assisi — a prime that acceptable the code for the remainder of his papacy.  

POPE DERIDES BIDEN'S ABORTION VIEWS, CATHOLIC SELF-IDENTITY AS 'INCOHERENCE'

Newly elected Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina appears connected the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica aft being elected by the conclave of cardinals, astatine the Vatican connected March 13, 2013. White fume roseate from the Sistine Chapel chimney and the bells of St. Peter's Basilica rang out, signaling astatine the clip that the Roman Catholic cardinals had elected a pope to win Benedict XVI. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)

Pope Francis’s teachings arsenic a priest, bishop, cardinal, and pope were profoundly influenced by his Jesuit vocation — viewing each idiosyncratic arsenic a unsocial instauration of God, with whom they tin person a idiosyncratic relationship. His ministry and enactment were committed to keeping doors unfastened and making the religion approachable to the public.  

It was not lone American authorities that helium had beardown opinions of. 

He faced disapproval for circumstantial remarks helium made against Israel’s subject cognition successful Gaza, calling the humanitarian concern successful the Palestinian enclave "very superior and shameful". During that aforesaid code helium besides condemned the maturation of antisemitism passim the world, Reuters reported. He besides called for an extremity to the warfare successful Ukraine and expressed concerns implicit clime change.

In 2023 seemingly looking to onslaught a equilibrium helium formally allowed Catholic priests to springiness same-sex couples a blessing, which was seen arsenic being a extremist displacement successful religion policy, The Associated Press reported astatine the time.   

Pope Francis is besides remembered for surviving a beingness of aggravated simplicity, denying himself a lavish papal flat successful the Vatican upon his election, and opting alternatively for a two-room suite successful the Domus Santa Marta, a residence built by Pope John Paul II.  

Pope Francis celebrates the accepted rite of the washing of feet astatine the Casal del Marmo juvenile penitentiary connected April 6, 2023 successful Rome, Italy. On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis went to the outskirts of Rome to observe the Mass of the Lord's Supper astatine the Casal del Marmo juvenile penitentiary wherever helium carried retired the accepted rite of the washing of feet of 12 of the young radical there. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

In opposition to his contiguous predecessors, Pope Francis eschewed ornate robes oregon luxurious clothing. His outfit seldom consisted of much than a plain, achromatic cassock tied with a papal fascia.  

Pope Francis adjacent dressed down his Ring of the Fisherman — a portion of golden jewelry worn by popes to signify their bureau — by having it made with metallic and lone wearing it for ceremonies.  

Francis’s tenure continued the ongoing efforts to analyse decades of intersexual maltreatment claims against priests crossed the world, including successful the United States, with Francis vowing transparency successful 2019. 

"Transparency is present being implemented astatine the highest level," said Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the Archbishop of Malta and Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, aft Francis gave ineligible authorities entree to documents astir intersexual maltreatment cases and abolished the "pontifical secret" of the cases.  

POPE FRANCIS DEFROCKS NOTORIOUS BISHOP WHO CONFESSED TO ABUSING HIS NEPHEW 

Pope Francis meets President Donald Trump during his archetypal word successful the Private Library of the Apostolic Palace with his woman Melania, his girl Ivanka Trump and her hubby Jared Kushner.  (Vatican/Pool/Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori via Getty Images)

He continued Benedict's work to basal malicious clerics retired of the Church hierarchy "with the wrath of God," appointing task forces and establishing unfortunate assistance groups.  

Pope Francis proved a frustrating pope for a wide assortment of conservatives, liberals, traditionalists, and progressives. 

His gentle — astatine times vague and confusing — connection connected cardinal societal issues specified arsenic sexuality and divorcement frustrated conservatives hoping for a much assertive champion of Catholic motivation teaching. 

In July 2017, a radical of Catholic clergy and academics sent Pope Francis a "Filial Correction" papers alleging 7 superior theological mistakes made by the pontiff successful nationalist statements. The document’s assertions proved arguable wrong the Catholic Church and the papers was ne'er explicitly addressed.  

Conversely, his refusal to backmost down from accepted religion teachings connected abortion, cheery marriage, women’s ordination, and priestly celibacy frustrated progressives hoping for a much modern church.  

Echoing his clip arsenic a prelate successful Argentina, Pope Francis was astatine times criticized from some sides of the aisle for his dense manus enforcing Catholic unity connected nationalist and planetary levels.  

Traditionalists voiced aggravated absorption to his apostolic missive "Traditionis custodes," which restricted the solemnisation of the accepted Latin wide successful an effort to squash progressively separatist blimpish movements wrong the Church.  

Pope Francis meets with then-President Joe Biden during an assemblage astatine the Apostolic Palace connected Oct. 29, 2021 successful Vatican City.  (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool)

He likewise has unopen down treatment of galore societal issues that progressives person sought to reform.  

In 2019, Pope Francis told a nun asking him to o.k. the ordination of women that "if the Lord didn’t privation a sacramental ministry for women, it can’t spell forward," adding, "We are Catholics, but if anyone wants to recovered different religion they are escaped [to bash so]."  

The hyper-progressive enactment of the Catholic Church successful Germany was a people of his ire aft the country’s clerical leaders attempted an upheaval of accepted teachings regarding sex and sexuality. The Vatican issued a bid of letters, approved by Pope Francis, accusing the German religion of risking separation from the Catholic Communion.  

The struggle with German bishops encapsulates his papacy’s recurring themes of authorization and unity, champion exemplified successful a transition from his "Letter to the Pilgrim People of God successful Germany."  

POPE FRANCIS URGES CATHOLIC VOTERS TO 'CHOOSE THE LESSER EVIL' BETWEEN TRUMP AND HARRIS

Pope Francis delivers a code during the Holy Mass with recently appointed Cardinals.  (Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In the letter, Pope Francis wrote, "The cosmopolitan Church lives successful and of the peculiar Churches, conscionable arsenic the peculiar Churches unrecorded and flourish successful and from the cosmopolitan Church. If they find themselves separated from the full ecclesial body, they weaken, rot and die. Hence, the request ever to guarantee that communion with the full assemblage of the Church is live and effective."  

Pope Francis visited dozens of countries, including the United States and Cuba successful 2015 and went arsenic acold afield arsenic Papua New Guinea, arsenic good arsenic visits to predominantly Muslim countries including Egypt, Morocco and Jordan. 

Pope Francis struggled with wellness complications passim his reign.  

The pontiff dealt for galore years with sciatica, a nervus information that caused immense symptom successful his limb and astatine times hindered his quality to walk.  

In 2021, Pope Francis was hospitalized for an intestinal country that removed 13 inches of his colon. 

In March 2023, Francis was again taken to the infirmary aft experiencing aggravated thorax symptom and trouble breathing. He was treated for a respiratory corruption and released aft antibiotic treatment. 

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Pope Francis is welcomed arsenic helium arrives astatine the Apostolic Prefecture connected Sept. 1, 2023 successful Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. According to the Vatican, the travel was Pope Francis's 43rd Apostolic Journey overseas and 61st state visited arsenic Pope.  (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

In June of the aforesaid year, the pope was brought backmost for different abdominal country to repair an incisional hernia. He was released aft making a afloat recovery.  

He took a autumn astatine his residence and suffered a contusion connected his close limb successful January 2025.   

In February, helium was erstwhile again hospitalized after a bout of bronchitis.  

Following Pope Francis’s death, the Vatican has entered a clip of sede vacante — successful English, "empty seat."  

The Associated Press, Reuters, and Fox News' Annie Butterworth contributed to this report.