Pope Francis The Beacon of Hope Passes Away at 88 Following Prolonged Illness

Pope Francis "The Beacon of Hope" Dies.

The world is reeling following the death of Catholic Church leader Pope Francis who passed on Monday, April 21, 2025 at the age of 88, due to complications from a months-long respiratory illness.

The Pope known for his humility and profound character had been in declining health for several months and had been hospitalized multiple times during his papacy.

The Vatican announced the Pope's passing, and the news sent shockwaves around the world. Catholics and non-Catholics alike mourned the loss of a spiritual leader who had been a beacon of hope and compassion.

During his papacy, Pope Francis was known for his progressive views and his efforts to reform the Catholic Church. He was a vocal advocate for social justice, environmental protection, and human rights.

The College of Cardinals will now gather in Rome for the funeral and to elect a new Pope. The conclave, a secretive process, will determine the next leader of the Catholic Church.

As the world bids farewell to Pope Francis, his legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched and the reforms he implemented. His passing marks the end of an era, but it also signals a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Flores, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936. His family had Italian roots; his father, Mario José Bergoglio, was an Italian immigrant accountant from Piedmont, and his mother, Regina María Sívori, was a housewife born in Buenos Aires to a family of northern Italian origin.

The family moved to Argentina in 1929 to escape the fascist rule of Benito Mussolini. Pope Francis was the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside of Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope and the first from the Americas, but he's not the first Latin American pope in the broader sense. However, he is the first Latin American pope in the modern era.

There have been popes from the Latin American region in the past, but Pope Francis is the first from the region to hold the office in modern times. He's also the first pope from Argentina and the first non-European pope in over 1,200 years.

The Vatican announced Pope Francis' funeral will be on Saturday.