By Currents News
News from the Vatican: Pope Francis has passed away.
The 88-year-old pontiff has been the shepherd of the Catholic Church for over a decade. His leadership forever changed the face of the papacy, creating a lasting legacy that will be felt for generations.
He was known as “the people’s pope.”
Born the son of Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1936, Jorge Bergoglio was a chemist and a literature and psychology teacher before joining the priesthood.
As the Archbishop of Buenos Aires he was known as a champion of the poor, and after being elected pope in 2013 he became known as a reformer.
He was the first pope from the Americas and the first to take the name Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi. Caring for the marginalized and those living on the peripheries became the backbone of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
His advocacy on behalf of migrants and refugees was evident through the dozens of trips he took during his papacy.
One of his first apostolic journeys in 2013 was to the Italian island of Lampedusa to show his solidarity with migrants.
One of his last was to southeast Asia, where he promoted peace through interreligious dialogue.
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Pope Francis often spoke out against the war in Ukraine, and every night since the Israel-Hamas war began he would call the only Catholic church in Gaza to remind them that they are not forgotten.
The Holy Father was an advocate for the environment, as well as people.
In 2015 he published his encyclical, “Laudato Si,” which focused not just on technical solutions to climate change. Rather, the pope encouraged Christians to find changes in their everyday lives that can help conserve the world’s ecology.
Since its creation, “Laudato Si” has inspired programs to fight climate change around the world.
His 2019 “Synod of Bishops on the Amazon” was largely focused on environmental issues and the need to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Synodality was a key concept of his papacy, and in 2024 Pope Francis closed the “Synod of Bishops on Synodality.” It was a four-year process to make the global Church a more open, welcoming and inclusive place. It focused on empowering lay people – including young Catholics – and ensuring that women have a greater role in the Church by giving them the right to vote at the Synod.
Pope Francis made history in January of 2025 by appointing the first woman as the head of a Vatican department.
He was also perhaps the most inclusive pontiff toward the LGBT community. Mere months after being elected, Pope Francis opened a door to LGBT Catholics when responding to a reporter’s question on the papal plane. But while he approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, he drew the line when it came to marriage.
As for heterosexual couples who divorce and then remarry, 2015 Pope Francis said they were still welcome in the church…
On the topic of abortion, the pope always took a strong stance against it. In 2018 he equated terminating a pregnancy to hiring a hitman.
In 2019, Pope Francis called on dioceses worldwide to set up a system for people to report clerical sex abuse, and he issued apologies for it.
The Holy Father also apologized for the abuse suffered by indigenous children in Canada at Catholic run residential schools.
Pope Francis also liked to celebrate, often inviting various circus acts to perform at the Vatican, But, his last celebration is one he won’t see to its end. In December of 2024 Pope Francis opened the Holy Doors at St Peter’s Basilica to begin the Jubilee of Hope.
Prior to his passing, Pope Francis said he plans to be buried in Rome’s famed Basilica of St. Mary Major.
For continuing coverage of the pope’s funeral services, be sure to follow Currents News and The Tablet online.