Rome
Cnn
–
Pope Francis, a voice for the poor who overcome fierce resistance to reshape the Catholic Church, died at 88, announced the Vatican.
The pope’s death was announced on Monday morning by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Vatican Camerlengo.
“Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sadness, I must announce the death of our Saint-Father Francis,” said a declaration from Camerlengo.
“At 7:35 am this morning, the bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the father’s house. All his life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his Church. ”
Farrell continued: “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, in particular in favor of the poorest and most marginalized.”
“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we congratulate the soul of Pope Francis in the infinite merciful love of the Trinitarian God,” concluded the declaration.
The announcement would have been a shock for many, coming less than a day after the Pope made a high -level appearance in public.
Although he does not appear so committed as usual on Sunday, he still managed to address a huge crowd of worshipers.
Francis gave the traditional Easter blessing of the Balcony of the Saint-Pierre Basilica to the Vatican, in what has marked its most prominent appearance since leaving the hospital.
Just before that, he held a brief meeting with American vice-president JD Vance.
The Pope’s tireless advocacy for migrants has strongly criticized him criticized the immigration policies of US President Donald Trump in the months preceding his death.
Francis, whose pontificate was a counterweight to the rise of nationalist populism, often found itself under fire of powerful conservative Catholic forces in the United States.
The death of Francis, who became the first Latin American pontiff in 2013 and was one of the oldest popes in the history of the church, occurred for weeks after leaving a hospital in Rome after fighting a case of deadly pneumonia in the two lungs.
His medical team said that his condition stabilized, allowing him to prosecute his residence Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.
Two weeks after leaving the hospital, he delighted the faithful by making a surprise appearance in Saint-Pierre.
He made a number of appearances since then, especially by spending 30 minutes in a prison in Rome on Thursday and a visit to the Saint-Pierre basilica on Saturday evening.
His death will open a debate on the future direction of the Catholic Church, the cardinals around the world should meet in Rome in the coming days to cry the pontiff, then elect his successor.
A strange figure and the first non -European pontiff in almost 1,300 years, Francis defended the poor, migrants and the environment, but the divisions on homosexual relations and how to fight against scandals of abuse within the Church have persisted throughout his pontificate.
The Pope’s tireless advocacy for migrants has strongly criticized him criticized the immigration policies of US President Donald Trump in the months preceding his death. Francis, whose pontificate was a counterweight to the rise of nationalist populism, often found itself under fire of powerful conservative Catholic forces in the United States.
First Latin America and Jesuit to be elected
Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Italian migrants in Buenos Aires in 1936, was the first Latin America and member of the Jesuit Order to be elected Pope in the history of 2000 years of the Church. He was also the first pope to be called Francis.
The Argentinian pontiff quickly acquired a reputation as a modernizer, with an approach -oriented approach which saw him boldly speak of humanitarian crises, such as migration, war and climate change.
He sought to reform the church by attacking elitist mentalities among the clergy, demanding a compassionate approach to divorced and homosexual Catholics and insisting that the Church welcomes everyone.
He took a series of measures to clean financial corruption in the Vatican and to fight against the scourge of sexual abuse of office, including the laws to hold the bishops responsible for the concealation. Francis also asked for an extended role for women working at the Vatican and priests authorized to offer blessings to same -sex couples.
He built bridges with the Muslim world, while seeking to play the role of peacemaker in the face of world conflicts, in particular in Ukraine and the Middle East.
His reforms saw him face unprecedented resistance from the ultra-conservative inside the church, although progressive Catholics considered that he should have gone further by authorizing the ordination of married men as priests, moving the official teaching of homosexuality and giving a larger space for women in the ministry.
Although he took a series of difficult measures, Francis did not suffocate the scandal of sexual abuse on children and other forms of abuse that tormented the Catholic Church – a shame which he made of his personal responsibility to end, but which continued to harm the institutional church in several countries through its papacy.
This is a story in development and will be updated.
