Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church has died at 88 years old. He was elected Pope Francis I at the age of 76 in March 2013, becoming the first Jesuit to lead the world's almost 1.4 billion Catholics, the first from the Americas and the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years.
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00:01He will go down in history as a radical plaintiff.
00:04From his election in March 2013, Pope Francis championed the poor and the vulnerable.
00:09Francesco è l'uomo della pace, e così è venuto il nome nel mio cuore.
00:17Francesco d'Assisi, l'uomo della povertà , l'uomo della pace,
00:25come vorrei una Chiesa povera e per i poveri.
00:30Dubbed the people's pope, the Argentine pontiff forged a more open and compassionate Catholic church
00:35than his predecessor, though he faced bitter opposition from traditionalists within the church.
00:40The football-loving former Archbishop of Buenos Aires staunchly defended the most disadvantaged,
00:46from prisoners to migrants to communities battered by climate change.
00:51The goal for a courageous and responsible effort to redirect our steps,
01:00and to avoid the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity.
01:13I'm convinced that we can make a difference, I'm sure.
01:22Frances, whose real name was Jorge Mario Burgolio, was the first ever pope from the Americas,
01:27and the first non-European in more than 1,200 years.
01:31He was also the first Jesuit to lead the world's almost 1.4 billion Catholics.
01:37Born in Buenos Aires to a working class family of Italian immigrants,
01:41he studied to become a chemical technician,
01:43before deciding to go down the path of priesthood shortly before turning 17.
01:47Frances was ordained as a priest in 1969,
01:50and went on to lead Argentinist Jesuits at only 36 years old.
01:54In 1998, he became the Archbishop of Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires.
01:59And three years later, he was made a Cardinal.
02:03Then in March 2013, he was elected Pope Francis I,
02:08taking over from Benedict XVI, who had stepped down,
02:12the first pointive to do so since the Middle Ages.
02:15Frances vowed to remove the Vatican-centric hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
02:19He promised an end to impunity, and changed Vatican law to help tackle sexual abuse within the Church.
02:25Fratelli e sorelle, questa è la vergogna.
02:29La vergogna che oggi tutti noi dobbiamo prendere il mano e chiedere perdona risolvere il problema.
02:40Frances allowed divorced and remarried believers to receive communion,
02:44and approved the baptism of transgender people and blessings for same-sex couples.
02:49Condonare una persona così è peccato.
02:54E criminalizzare le persone di tendenza omosessuale è una ingiustizia.
03:06Critics accuse the Pope of creating doctrinal confusion
03:09and failing to defend traditional Catholic beliefs on key issues.
03:13Tensions with the conservative Catholics marked the Synod Congress
03:16that met at the Vatican at the end of 2023,
03:18part of a years-long global consultation on the future of the Church,
03:22that Frances now leaves unfinished.
03:24Despite being plagued by health issues over the last years,
03:27he kept up a relentless schedule at both the Vatican and frequent trips abroad,
03:31including a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour in September 2024.
03:36Frances' desire to chart a different path was evident right to the end,
03:52with the decision to be buried not at St. Peter's Basilica,
03:55but at Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore.
03:57He will become the first Pope in more than a hundred years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican,
04:03also rejecting the tradition of Popes having three nested coffins,
04:06instead choosing to be buried in just one.
04:09His death sets in motion centuries-old traditions,
04:12which will culminate in a gathering of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor.
04:16In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the Vatican will be held by the Carmelengo,
04:20a senior cardinal, currently Dublin-born Kevin Farrell.
04:27And you still can't find the place.
04:32Yes?
04:37Amen.
04:39Well done.
04:45Amen.