Pope Francis was head of the Catholic Church as pope starting on the 13th March in 2013. He was the first pope to be a Jesuit, the first Latin American, and the first from the Southern Hemisphere. After recovering from a severe illness, he was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958.
As pope, Francis’s manner was less formal than that of his immediate predecessors, with the media noting that it was “his common touch and accessibility that is proving the greatest inspiration.” As a Jesuit pope, Francis made clear that a fundamental task of the faithful is not so much to follow rules as to figure out what God is calling them to do.
Pope Francis was a wonderful and benevolent pope, and it is with a heavy heart that we announce his death. The cause of his death was a stroke, followed by his heart stopping. Francis’s Requiem Mass was celebrated on 26 April, five days after his death, and he was buried at Santa Maria Maggiore. He will be missed immensely, and his absence will be palpable. There are no words to describe the sorrow we all feel.
Pope Francis, we pray for you.