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POPE FRANCIS (1936-2025)
On the morning of Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, The Vatican announced the death of the 266th Pope, Pope Francis. Aged 88, he died after a lengthy battle with respiratory illness.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 17, 1936, the pontiff’s parents had fled their native Italy to escape the evils of Mussolini fascism, and settled in Argentina.
On Saturday April 26, 2025, his funeral service took place in St Peter’s Square before his burial at Papal Basilica of St Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), Rome.
The first Jesuit to be elected to the papacy on 13th March 2013, Pope Francis had, after completing his studies at the Salesian school, enroled at Catholic University of Argentina, earning a degree in philosophy. He then studied theology at the Colegio Máximo de San José in San Miguel, Buenos Aires.
When on December 13, 1969, just four days before his 33rd birthday, Bergoglio was ordained a priest, his career as a Jesuit priest began. He was later appointed provincial of the Argentine Jesuits in 1973.
In 1992, Bergoglio was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires and ordained bishop the following year. In 1998, he was named Archbishop of Buenos Aires and made a Cardinal in 2001.
On becoming Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1998, he sold the big car used by his predecessor and found a new job for the chauffeur. As pope, he frequently railed against clergy who drive in the latest model cars, denouncing it as “a scandal” and an offence to the poor. When he was appointed a Cardinal by Pope St John Paul II, he didn’t get new Robes for Cardinals. He rather took the old ones from his predecessor(s), took them to the tailor to arrange them to fit him.
His penchant for simplicity and innovation continued as he ascended the papacy, rejecting the dress codes of previous popes and continued wearing his only black shoes and old simple silver Cross he wore as Archbishop in Argentina.
He rejected the Mercedes Benz Bullet proof car bought for his use, and instead went with the simple economy car. He rejected the palatial Papal “Apostolic Palace,” choosing residence at the Casa Santa Marta with three rooms with small spaces – a living room, a study and a bedroom, just like rooms meant for students in boarding schools. He thus became the first pontiff to live outside the Apostolic Palace since the 17th Century and the first since 1903 to be buried outside the Vatican with his burial at his chosen place of rest, the Basilica of St Mary Major, one of four major papal basilicas in Rome.
Even in death, unlike previous popes who were buried in three nested coffins made of cypress, lead and oak, Pope Francis opted for a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc. The poor pontiff also scrapped the tradition of placing the pope’s body on a raised platform – known as a catafalque – in St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. And he insisted that mourners pay their respects while his body remains inside the coffin, with the lid removed.
Indeed, Pope Francis’ benediction of poverty was real as he lived and called on the church to live on the edge with the people rather than in lure of power and privileges. His focus was solely compassion with the young, poor, downtrodden and dispossessed including prisoners, homeless people and victims and survivors of sex trafficking.
At his death, his net worth was estimated to be around $100 as he turned down his yearly salary of £384,000 to live a modest life, donating them to charities and trusts. This was because his basic needs, such as living expenses, food, clothing and travel, are paid for by the Vatican.
We at Daily Trust join the about 1.406 billion global Catholic family in mourning the pope who used his papacy to stress the interconnectedness of all creation and our shared responsibility for the planet. We also commend his simplicity and compassion.
He will also be remembered for his vocal stance in the fight against climate change, dedicating two papal letters to the dangers of global warming, especially its impact on the poor.
Also, Africa mourns the loss of a leader who boldly championed its unpopular causes and vulnerabilities – conflict, exploitation, poverty, disease, climate change, economic inequality, and political instability.
He undertook dangerous journeys into troubled parts of the continent including the Central African Republic (DRC) where he turned down suggestions to wear a bulletproof vest or use a bulletproof shield on the Popemobile. There, he called on the international community to “Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa; Africa is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he consistently called for fair distribution and “spirit of global responsibility” to ensure that Africa and other developing nations were not left out in the allocation of COVID-19 vaccines.
In a world plagued by violence and war, Pope Francis’ voice stood out for peace, always insisting that “war is a defeat for humanity” as it kills people, destroys homes, hospitals and schools. He stood strong with the Palestinian people, using his moral authority to call for a ceasefire and stop the “death and destruction” that created “a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation.”
Indeed, Pope Francis was an agent of change who tried to take the Church in direction at odds with the feelings and views of mainstream Catholics. But he saw himself as a force for spiritual good, driven by his Jesuit missionary zeal.
May God grant the soul of Pope Francis eternal rest.
