Pope Francis died after leading the Roman Catholic Church for 12 years.
A simple religious, who tried, despite criticism and opposition within the institution itself, that the Church was a little more inclusive.
He died on Monday, after weeks with respiratory problems, which kept him hospitalized during the month of March.
88 years old, Francisco’s pontificate was full of milestones and symbolism.
Next, we share a summary in photos of his period as leader of Catholicism and the Holy See.
Francisco was already seventy years old when he became Pope in 2013, replacing Benedict XVI.
Francisco’s socially liberal and minimalist beliefs contrasted with the most traditional points of view of Benedict, but Francisco said that his predecessor “never interfered” were often seen together in the Vatican gardens.
In 2022, Francisco became the first Pope in more than a century to bury his predecessor, when Benedict died at the age of 95.
Francisco’s papacy opened new paths in many other aspects: he was the first Jesuit and the first Latin American pontiff.
Humble beginnings
He was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, as the eldest of five brothers. His parents had fled his native Italy to escape fascism.
He grew up into a working class family and his early years were marked by simplicity and commitment to their faith.
As a young man, Bergoglio worked as a goalkeeper of Disco and Barrendero, and supported his local football club, San Lorenzo de Almagro, a passion that he maintained long after becoming a priest in 1969.
The young cleric got a rapid rise and in 1973 he became the de facto leader of the Argentine Jesuits, a Catholic order of very influential missionaries and educators.
Bergoglio leadership was defined by his dedication to social justice and his support for marginalized.
But some accused him of not doing enough to oppose the generals of the brutal military dictatorship that Argentina governed between 1976 and 1983, especially after the military kidnap two priests.
Bergoglio explained that talking clearly was difficult in such dangerous times and the Vatican has denied that he was guilty of any crime during that period.
Ascent to the top
In 1998, Bergoglio was appointed Archbishop of Buenos Aires, where he became famous for his pastoral attention, his humility and his commitment to the poor. Pope John Paul II appointed him Cardinal in 2001.
He rejected many of the ornaments of his position: he often chose to wear the black toga of a priest instead of the red and dwelling of his new position, traveled by public transport and was directly related to the community.
In the 2005 conclave, after the death of John Paul II, he was considered a candidate for the Papacy, although he would not become Pope until eight years later.
On March 13, 2013, Pope Francis went on the balcony that gives the Plaza de San Pedro.
Simply dressed in Blanco, he had a new name in tribute to San Francisco de Asís, the patron saint of the environment, animals and birds.
From the beginning, Pope Francis emphasized simplicity and service. He took the bus to return home with the other cardinals instead of using papal limousine. “I would like to have a poor church for the poor,” he said.
As Pope appointed more than 140 cardinals from non -European countries, 15 of them in December 2024.
Francisco also made the promotion of world peace and interreligious dialogue the axis of his papacy.
He tried to close the millenary gap with the Eastern Orthodox Church and worked with Anglicans, Lutherans and Methodists.
In addition, he persuaded Israeli and Palestinian presidents to join him in the Vatican to pray for peace just one year after becoming a potato.
“The establishment of peace demands courage, much more than war,” said Pope Francis after the meeting.
A year later he visited several African countries, including Kenia, Uganda and the Central African Republic, focusing his energy on trying to bring Christians and Muslims closer.
He returned to the continent in 2023 by calling for peace during a pilgrimage to South Sudan.
In his Christmas message of 2022 he talked about a world that suffers a “Peace Hungry” and requested the end of the war in Ukraine. Months later he received President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Vatican.
And, as Spanish -speaking Latin American, he provided a crucial service as a mediator when the US government reopened diplomatic ties with Cuba in 2015, celebrating meetings in the Vatican and visiting both countries that same year.
He also received Queen Elizabeth in the Vatican in 2014 and five years later to whom he would later become King, Prince Carlos.
He met actors and celebrities, like Angelina Jolie, already athletes, as the hero of Argentine soccer Lionel Messi.
He even shake hands with Spiderman …
In tougher times, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he canceled his usual appearances in the Plaza de San Pedro-to avoid the propagation of the virus-and declared that vaccinating was a universal obligation.
Controversial decisions
But his papacy was not exempt from challenges. Francisco faced resistance from the most conservative features of the Church, who felt that the Pontiff moved away from the traditional doctrine.
He opposed abortion during his time as Pope, describing him as “serious sin”, but allowed the priests to forgive the women who repent after having had one.
And in 2023 he said that priests would be allowed to bless same -sex couples -a significant progress for LGBT people in the Catholic Church -although the blessings should not be part of the regular rituals of the Church or be related to civil unions or weddings.
However, the greatest challenge to his papacy came from those who accused him of not addressing the abuse of minors.
Although the Pope spoken that the Church would take decisive measures to address the problem -including the obligation that the members of the clergy denounce their superiors before any suspicion of abuse -critics argue that they could have done more during their pontificate.
Despite the controversies, Pope Francis remained committed to the poor and marginalized, living a life of service and simplicity while led 1,200 million Catholics for more than a decade.
“A world full of hope and kindness is a more beautiful world,” he told the BBC in the Christmas season of 2024.
In his last days, the Pope fought against respiratory complications, which caused him to be hospitalized from mid -February until last March.
This Sunday, during the Catholic Easter, Francisco offered his blessing to hundreds of parishioners who met in the Plaza de San Pedro.
Despite his deteriorated state of health, the religious leader even went out to greet in the mobile pope and met with JD Vance, US vice president.
*Produced and edited by Chris Clayton, Emma Lynch, Tom Finn and Richard Moynihan. Development by Dan Smith and Giacomo Boscaini-Gilroy. Image research by the BBC image department.
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