In the Loving Memory of Pope Francis

Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio), the first pope from the Americas, had died at the age of 88, on the day following Easter Sunday after experiencing a stroke. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and was the eldest of 5 siblings. He was an avid soccer fan and would often display his love for the sport even after becoming pope, he inviting soccer teams to the Vatican

On December 13, 1969 was the day Pope Francis was ordained as the first Jesuit Catholic priest by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano.

Pope Francis was known to support for women’s rights, allowing women to be admitted as an acolyte or lector, a role which was exclusive to men until Pope Francis issued Spiritus Domini.

“It’s just the beginning, he took baby steps regarding women... Top level decisions, but there’s no way back.” stated Paloma Garcia Ovejero, the first woman deputy director of the Holy See Press Office in an interview with NBC News.

Along with his reforms on women’s rights, Pope Francis was against laws criminalising homosexuality, despite homosexuality being considered a sinful act in some religions. 

Overall, the Pope’s death sparked many reactions from Catholics, to Atheists to world leaders thanks to his progressive transformation of the church.

“Today, I was blessed to be able to pray over the body of Pope Francis, which lies in a simple wooden coffin in St. Peter's Basilica. I stood in line with thousands of people to pray for him. But I think he's already praying for us.” stated James Martin, a Jesuit priest and founder of Outreach Catholic over on Twitter.

Pope Francis’s funeral was held on April 26, 2025 at St. Peter’s Basilica, expecting hundreds of thousands of mourners and many world leaders.

Image Courtsey: rawpixel.com