Pope Francis dies at 88: The first Latin American, first Jesuit, and first Francis in modern papal history

Pope Francis death: Just a day after wishing crowds ‘Happy Easter,' and taking a tour on his popemobile at the Vatican, Pope Francis breathed his last at the age of 88 years, on Monday, April 21. The pontiff was the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit and the first named Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi, the humble friar who dedicated his life to helping the poor.

The last non-European pope was Syria’s Gregory III from 731-41.

How did Pope Francis get his name?

The Archbishop of Buenos Aries, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, took the name ‘Francis,’ and came to be known to the world as Pope Francis. Cardinal Bergoglio was elected the pope in 2013.

As per Christian mythology, St. Francis was born into a wealthy family but chose to renounce his riches in pursuit of a humble life. He went on to found the Franciscan order of friars and spent his days traveling the countryside, preaching to ordinary people in simple, heartfelt language.

Pope Francis was the first pope from Latin America

In 2013, Francis’ election was a moment of immense pride for Latin Americans, who constitute around 40 per cent of the world’s Catholic population, but have historically been underrepresented in church leadership.

In 2013, the former pope's election had sparked jubilant celebrations across Buenos Aires—car horns blared through the streets, and TV announcers erupted with joy as they shared the historic announcement.

“It’s a huge gift for all of Latin America. We waited 20 centuries. It was worth the wait,” Jose Antonio Cruz, a Franciscan friar at the St. Francis of Assisi church in the colonial Old San Juan district in Puerto Rico, had told the AP.

Pope Francis denied himself luxuries

The son of middle-class Italian immigrants, Pope Francis denied himself the luxuries that previous cardinals in Buenos Aires enjoyed. Before his election as the Pope, Cardinal Bergoglio used to live in a simple apartment, often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited slums in Argentina's capital.

Pope Francis also chose to forgo the elaborate burial traditions which were performed for his predecessors. In 2022, Pope Francis expressed his wish to be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, unlike his predecessors, who have traditionally been buried at the Vatican Grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, as per Reuters.