POPE FRANCIS, the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church, passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, marking the end of what is widely seen as an unorthodox papacy that emphasized inclusivity and social justice and paved the way to radical reforms.
In its statement announcing the death of the 88 year-old pontiff, the Vatican said Francis taught devotees to live “the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized.”
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber or caretaker of the papal household, said in remarks delivered at the Casa Santa Marta.
The late Argentinian pontiff suffered from bronchitis, was hospitalized for over a month and was later on diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia. He later continued his recovery in his residence in Casa Santa Marta.
Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, greeting the crowd from the St. Peter’s Basilica balcony a day before his death.
In a statement, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) said the pope embodied the gospel values of “mercy, humility and inclusivity.”
As the head of the Catholic Church, the pope concurrently served as an administrator of pontifical institutions, including UST.
“As the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope, he inspired millions with his deep compassion for the poor and marginalized, his call for ecological conversion, his pastoral leadership in times of local and global crises whether it be human rights, armed conflict, or social justiceand his unwavering commitment to dialogue and peace,” the University said.
UST, which was conferred the title of pontifical university by Pope Leo XIII in 1902, lauded Francis’ efforts to advocate for social justice and to strengthen the “missionary” nature of the Church by journeying with the people as pilgrims of hope.
It described as a “historic moment” the pope’s visit to its España campus on January 18, 2015.
“Being a Pontifical University, our leadership and governance bear the blessing of the Holy See. Yet Pope Francis, like his predecessors, went beyond governance to minister Asia’s pioneer university,” UST said.
Francis’ visit to UST was part of his five-day apostolic visit to the Philippines. During his engagement at the University, the pope met with religious leaders at the Arch of the Centuries and urged over 24,000 Catholics to devote themselves to renewing society and building a better world.
It was in the same event that the Pope was stumped by the question of a crying 12-year-old girl who had experienced hardships on the streets.
“Why does God let children suffer?” the girl asked, to which the pope replied that the answer could be found in weeping, an act of “Christ-like compassion.”
Francis was the third pope to visit UST, the oldest Catholic University in Asia, after Pope Paul VI in November 1970 and Pope John Paul II in February 1981 and January 1995.
A man of profound faith
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. also mourned the pope’s passing, describing him as a man with “profound faith and humility.”
“The Philippines joins the Catholic community worldwide in grieving the loss of His Holiness Pope Francis. A man of profound faith and humility, Pope Francis led not only with wisdom but with a heart open to all, especially the poor and the forgotten,” Marcos said in a Facebook post.
According to Marcos, Francis’ humility brought many people back to the Church as he had set an example of how to be a good Christian by imparting kindness and care to others.
“As we mourn his passing, we honor a life that brought hope and compassion to so many, and inspired us to love one another as Christ loved us,” the President added.
In a separate statement, Marcos described the late shepherd of the Church as “one of a kind” and the “best pope” in his lifetime
The Presidential Communications Office, the government’s lead communication arm, also heaped praises on the pope, saying Filipinos would always remember his call to reinvigorate their zeal to connect with each other, reach out to those in the margins and work collectively to protect the environment.
Radical reformer
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis was elected pope on March 13, 2013, making him the first pope from South America and the first Jesuit to hold the post.
During his visit to the Philippines in 2015, he celebrated mass at the Manila Cathedral, UST and the Quirino Grandstand, which was attended by a record six million people.
Another highlight of his apostolic visit was his emotional outdoor mass in Tacloban City, which was devastated by typhoon Yolanda in 2013. During the Eucharistic celebration, Francis assured the typhoon survivors that God did not abandon them during their most trying times.
In his 12 years as the head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, Francis had been vocal in his advocacy for peace and compassion, making a total of 47 diplomatic trips to visit countries with marginalized Christian communities.
Francis also introduced unprecedented reforms in the Roman Curia, the government of the Catholic Church. In 2022, he promulgated the text of the new Apostolic Constitution “Praedicate Evangelium,” which gave the administrative body a more missionary structure designed to serve local churches, carry out the task of evangelization and allow any baptized lay, including women, to lead Vatican offices.
Throughout his papacy, the pope had faced controversies over some of his remarks on ticklish issues like homosexuality and atheism.
In 2023, Francis allowed Catholic priests to give blessings to same-sex couples, but the Church clarified that it does not regard their unions as marriage. The blessings will be permitted so long as they are not part of regular Church rituals and ceremonies of civil unions and weddings.
In 2013, Francis made headlines when he told non-believers that even atheists could be redeemed and make moral judgements just like religious individuals.
Six years later, he abolished the pontifical secret in the case of sexual violence and abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy to ensure transparency and to make it easier for the police and other civil authorities to obtain information from the Church.
In April last year, the pope approved a renewed papal funeral rite, which seeks to conduct ceremonies that are “simplified and focused on expressing the faith of the Church in the Risen Body of Christ.”
Francis’ death will be mourned through a religious ceremony called “novendiales,” a nine-day period between the pope’s death and the election of his successor.
His successor will be chosen by cardinals in a highly secretive process called conclave. F
