The pontiff, who was Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church, became pope in 2013 after his predecessor Benedict XVI resigned.

The announcement was made at 9:45 a.m. by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, who addressed the faithful with solemn words:

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis… With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”

The Pope had been battling complications from bilateral pneumonia since mid-February, following years of respiratory health issues linked to a lung surgery in his youth. After a 38-day hospital stay at Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, he returned to Casa Santa Marta to continue his recovery, but his condition deteriorated in recent days.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis was the first Jesuit pope, the first from Latin America, and the first non-European pontiff in over a millennium. His papacy, which began in March 2013, was characterized by humility, personal simplicity, and a radical commitment to the poor and oppressed.

Perhaps no issue highlighted his defiance of global power structures more clearly than his open and consistent support for the Palestinian cause and condemnation of Zionist aggression.

In homilies, prayers, and international speeches, Pope Francis repeatedly called for an end to the occupation of Palestine, denouncing the Israeli state’s policies of apartheid, displacement, and the siege of Gaza. During Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza that began on October 7, 2023, Pope Francis became one of the few major Western religious figures to break the wall of silence and openly name the horror for what it was.

“Stop in the name of God,” he pleaded during his Angelus address in late 2023. “We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The blood of children, of women, cries out to heaven.”

He infuriated some Western political elites by hosting Palestinian representatives at the Vatican, condemning arms sales to Israel, and emphasizing the Palestinians’ right to dignity, land, and self-determination. His public mourning of Palestinian martyrs and victims of Israeli bombings further underscored his prophetic courage in the face of imperial silence. (ILKHA)