Francis, the people's and atheists' favorite Pope, has died

On February 14, Francis was admitted to the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome due to bronchitis. A few days later, the Vatican announced that the pontiff had a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract and, a few days later, bilateral pneumonia.

In 2024, Francis also experienced some health issues, with some colds and respiratory infections causing him to need help to read texts at audiences or other events.

One of the points at which this was highlighted was during Holy Week, as he canceled, for the second year running, his appearance at the Via Crucis in Rome's Colosseum on Good Friday.

Previously, in the summer of 2023, on June 6, the Vatican confirmed that the Pope had gone to hospital for tests. The following day, after the usual Wednesday general audience, Francis was admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery - a laparotomy and abdominal wall repair with a prosthesis, using general anesthesia.

"The operation, scheduled in recent days by the medical team assisting the Holy Father, became necessary due to an incarcerated incisional hernia that is causing recurrent, painful and aggravated sub-occlusive syndromes. The stay in the health unit will last several days to allow for a normal post-operative course and full functional recovery," it was said at the time.

Days earlier, in the early afternoon of May 26, the Holy See Press Office reported that the pontiff had canceled his schedule because he was in a "feverish state".

On March 29, Pope Francis was admitted "to Rome's Gemelli Hospital for some previously scheduled examinations". On the same day it was confirmed that he had a respiratory infection and would be hospitalized for a few days, which turned out to be true.

The Pope had already been in this hospital between July 4 and 14, 2021, following a colon operation. In addition, Francis had part of a lung removed in his youth and suffered from chronic sciatica.

At the time, the pontiff had been talking about the knee problems that made him often move around in a wheelchair, but he always ruled out surgery.

Associated with the health problems also came the question of resignation, with Francis claiming that he held a position for life and that Pope Benedict XVI's resignation was an exception. However, it emerged that he wrote a letter of resignation two months after his election.

"I did this in case I had a health problem that prevented me from exercising my ministry and I was not fully conscious and in a position to resign," the Pope told Civita Cattolica.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, and was ordained on December 13, 1969, during his studies at the Faculty of Theology of the San José College, in San Miguel de Tucuman (northern Argentina).

In 1969, he traveled to Spain, where he completed his third period of priestly preparation at the University of Alcalá de Henares in Madrid. In 1972, he returned to Argentina to teach novices in San Miguel de Tucuman.

From 1980 to 1986, he was rector of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology of San Miguel. He completed his doctorate in Germany and was also confessor and spiritual director of the Society of Jesus in Cordoba (Spain).

His appointment as bishop took place on May 20, 1992, when Pope John Paul II entrusted him with the diocese of Auca and made him auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Buenos Aires.

Five years later, in 1997, he was appointed coauditor archbishop of Buenos Aires and in 1998, after the death of archbishop and cardinal Quarracino, he was elevated to archbishop of the Argentine capital.

The Argentinian cardinal was a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He was president of the bishops' conference in Argentina between November 8, 2005 and November 8, 2011.

On February 13, 2013, days after Benedict XVI's resignation, Bergoglio was chosen as the next Pope, after five votes, on the fifth day of the conclave.

The choice of the Jesuit, who was 76 at the time, came as a surprise to experts, as he was not one of the youngest members of the College of Cardinals.

In addition, he was elected the first Latin American pope in history, a fact that Francis immediately commented on when he spoke his first words as Pope from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

"It seems that the cardinals have gone to look for the new pontiff at the end of the world," declared Jorge Mário Bergoglio.

On this occasion, Francis invited the faithful "to take the path of fraternity, love" and "evangelization" and asked the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square for a minute's silence: "Pray for me and give me your blessing."

Inforpress/Agencies

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