Pope Francis, Trailblazing Jesuit Leader, Dies at 88

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American pope who reshaped the papacy with a message of humility, inclusion, and social justice, has died at the age of 88.

The Vatican confirmed the pontiff passed away at 7:35 a.m. at the Casa Santa Marta residence. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo, announced: “The bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.”

Francis had been hospitalized in February with severe pneumonia and spent over five weeks at Rome’s Gemelli hospital—his longest hospital stay during a 12-year papacy. He was discharged in March and made a final public appearance during Easter mass in St. Peter’s Square.

His passing initiates a period of global mourning and the calling of a conclave, where 138 voting cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel to elect the 268th pope. Early contenders include Cardinals Matteo Zuppi of Italy, Pietro Parolin, and Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Francis became pope in March 2013. He chose simplicity over papal privilege, famously rejecting the papal apartments and declaring a vision of “a poor church for the poor.” He quickly became a voice for the marginalized, condemning economic inequality, environmental destruction, and mistreatment of refugees.

His landmark encyclical on climate change, Laudato Si’, and his outspokenness on corporate greed and poverty marked a turning point for Vatican advocacy. He also took steps to confront clerical sexual abuse, issuing reforms to increase accountability within the church.

Francis’s approach often sparked friction with conservative factions within the Vatican, especially over his efforts to reform internal bureaucracy and modernize the Church’s global image. Yet his compassion, humility, and outreach to prisoners, migrants, and the disenfranchised won him admiration well beyond Catholic circles.

Funeral arrangements are underway, guided by simplified rites Francis approved last year. He will be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, as per his own wishes.

As the Church prepares for its next chapter, Pope Francis is remembered not only as a spiritual leader but as a transformative global figure who brought the papacy closer to the people it serves.