Facts about Pope Francis, who passed away the day after Resurrection Day

“I am deeply sorry to inform you that Pope Francis, our Holy Father, has passed away. “At 7:35 a.m. Francis, the Bishop of Rome, went to the Father's house peacefully this morning at 05:35 GMT. In a statement that was made public via the Telegram channel of the Vatican, Cardinal Kevin Farrell stated, "His life was wholly devoted to serving God and the Church." 

Globalgistzng focuses on facts about the late pope. Pope Francis was the eldest of five children in a devout Catholic family of Italian descent. He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. His parents were Italian immigrants. His mother, Regina Mara Svori, was born in Argentina to Italian parents, and his father, Mario José Bergoglio, was an Italian immigrant who fled fascist Italy in 1929. 

Bergoglio maintained a lifelong connection to the poor despite growing up in a modest working-class household, a theme that would define his papacy. He received his early education from Don Bosco's Salesians, graduating as a chemical technician before entering religious life. He worked low-paying jobs as a nightclub bouncer and janitor in his early adult years. Due to a severe respiratory illness, he had surgery to remove part of a lung at the age of 21. This was a profound spiritual experience for him. During confession, he had a powerful experience that led to his calling to the priesthood. He joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1958 and later earned degrees in philosophy and theology. On December 13, 1969, he received his priestly ordination. At the age of 36, Bergoglio became the Jesuits' provincial in Argentina in 1973. The Yom Kippur War put an end to his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the same year that he made his final Jesuit vows. 

He was the Jesuit seminary's rector in San Miguel from 1980 to 1986. He also went to Ireland and Germany for his studies, where he learned more about theology. Bergoglio continued his ascension into the ecclesiastical realm despite later conflicts with the Jesuit leadership. He was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992, and in 1998, he was made the city's archbishop. He chose to live in a small apartment and prepare his own meals because he was known to shun opulence. In 2001, Pope John Paul II made him a cardinal, and during Argentina's economic collapse, he became a prominent moral figure who stood up for the rights of the poor.

 He was elected pope on March 13, 2013, after Pope Benedict XVI resigned. He chose the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi and became the first Jesuit pope from Latin America. Francis was well-known for abstaining from traditional papal luxuries during his time as pope and preferring modest attire and accommodations. He initiated extensive reforms at the Vatican with the intention of increasing accountability and transparency. 

He wrote the landmark encyclical on climate change, Laudato Si', in 2015. In it, he called it a moral obligation to protect "our common home." Additionally, he advocated for a more inclusive Church that emphasized compassion and mercy. Divorce, LGBTQ inclusion, and family life were topics of discussion for Francis. 

He confronted the Church's past wrongs, most notably by apologizing for the abuse of Indigenous children in residential schools in Canada, which he referred to as "cultural genocide." The death of Pope Francis occurred on April 21, 2025.