Pope Francis, leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, died this week, age 88. The pope had been battling pneumonia and had returned home in late March after weeks in the hospital. Determined as ever to be a pope of the people, he offered an Easter Sunday benediction despite his frailty. He died the next morning.
Francis was a reformer, committed to making the Catholic Church more open, more compassionate and more engaged with contemporary social issues. That mission was not welcomed by all the faithful. He leaves a church that is deeply divided, which should come as no surprise given the vast social divisions that mark the world beyond the Vatican’s walls.
The pontif was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a chemist before entering the church; once ordained, he rose through its ranks as a priest, archbishop and cardinal. His thinking was shaped by life under the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina, instilling in him a deep sense of justice and compassion.
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