Pope Francis dies at 88

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church for the past 12 years, has died at age 88.

The head of the Catholic Church died Monday morning at 7:35 a.m. (CEST). He had been the pope for 12 years, ascending to the head of the papacy on March 13, 2013.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,″ Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in the announcement. “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite, merciful love of God, One and Tribune.″

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was the first pope born or raised outside of Europe in over 1,000 years. He was born in Buenos Aires Argentina and worked as a bouncer and janitor before training as a chemist. In 1958, he joined the Jesuits and rose through the ranks of the church to become archbishop of Buenos Aires by 1998. In 2001, Pope John Paul II made him a cardinal.

Francis' rise to the Vatican was a historic event, preceded by the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. Benedict was the first pope to relinquish the office since 1415. Benedict became known as "Pope emeritus" until his death in 2022.

Francis was considered a more liberal pope than his predecessor and has faced controversy from the more conservative elements in the church for his stances on the LGBTQ+ community. He approved a ruling that allowed priests to bless same-sex couples without blessing the relationships themselves.

He named the first woman to head a major Vatican office, appointing an Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, to become prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church's religious orders.

The appointment marked a major step in Francis’ aim to give women more leadership roles in governing the church. While women have been named to No. 2 spots in some Vatican offices, never before had a woman been named prefect of a dicastery or congregation of the Holy See Curia, the central governing organ of the Catholic Church.

As pope, Francis also championed the cause of immigrants, speaking out against xenophobic reactions to migrants traveling to Europe and the U.S. In January, shortly before Donald Trump’s inauguration, Francis said Trump’s plans to impose mass deportations of immigrants would be a “disgrace,” as he weighed in on the incoming U.S. president’s pledges nearly a decade after calling him “not Christian” for wanting to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

More local videos here

Subscribe to NEXT

Stay connected:

9NEWS Website

Download the 9NEWS App

Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER

9NEWS (KUSA) is located in Denver, Colorado.