Hours after leading Easter Sunday services at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m. Rome time, according to the Vatican. 

Francis was hospitalized earlier this year for double pneumonia and long suffered from chronic lung disease. 

Born in Argentina to Italian immigrants, Jorge Bergolio was the first pope from Latin America, and the first pope from the Jesuit religious order. 

He took the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, an Italian mystic from the 12th century who lived a life of poverty. 

Using the teachings of St. Francis, Pope Francis dedicated his ministry to advocating for the care of the environment. Laudato Si, translated to “care for our common home” was Francis’ first papal encyclical, in which he advocated for less greed and a turn toward addressing the climate crisis.

Francis is widely recognized as one of the most socially progressive popes in church history. In response to a question about gay people, he famously replied, “who am I to judge?” 

He met frequently with people in the LGBTQ+ community, advocated for the decriminalization of homosexuality and appointed women to key roles in church leadership. Despite these progressive moves, Francis stood firm on certain church doctrine, forbidding women priests and married clergy. 

Francis was a champion of migrants and refugees. After a 2016 visit to wartorn Syria, Francis brought 12 refugees back to the Vatican with him on the papal plane.

Recently, he rebuked the Trump administration for their indiscriminate immigration policy. Francis met with Vice President JD Vance this weekend to discuss migration and the refugee crisis. 

Catholic church hierarchy will now assemble in Rome to choose the next pope in a process called a papal conclave. The pope is typically chosen from the College of Cardinals. 

Francis’ final words to his flock were “A blessed Easter.”

Stay informed with The DePaulia’s top stories, delivered to your inbox every Monday.