Pope Francis 1936 - 2025

Pope Francis died at 88, the Vatican announced on Monday, ending a groundbreaking pontificate that sought to reshape the Roman Catholic Church into a more inclusive institution. His death will set off mourning around the world and deliberations and machinations to choose a successor.

Rising from modest means in Argentina to become the first Jesuit and Latin American pontiff, Francis spoke out tirelessly for migrants, the marginalized and the health of the planet.

The absence of Francis creates a vacuum in the leadership of more than one billion Catholics, and leaves cardinals with a critical decision: whether to choose a new pope who will follow his welcoming, global approach or to restore the more doctrinaire path of his predecessors.

NYTimes

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