Pope Francis, who reshaped the Catholic Church, died on April 21 at the age of 88. He was the first Latin American pope in history and the first from the Americas. He chose the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, who is revered by Catholics for his efforts to help the poor.

Pope Francis (left) was born on December 17, 1936, with the birth name Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the eldest son of Mario and Regina Bergoglio, Italian immigrants to Argentina. (Photo: Family provided)

The Pope as a child. (Photo: Family provided)

The Pope with his parents in 1958. In high school, he studied chemical engineering. (Photo: Family provided)

He was ordained a priest in 1969. (Photo: Family provided)

He is pictured during an Easter procession in 2000. A few years earlier, he had become the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2001, he was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II. (Photo: AP)

The Pope washes the feet of a woman at a maternity hospital in Buenos Aires in 2005. (Photo: Reuters)

The Pope takes public transport before celebrating Mass in Buenos Aires in 2008. When he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he often took the bus to work and cooked his own meals. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Pope celebrates Mass outside a church in Buenos Aires in 2009. (Photo: AP)

The Pope waves to the crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after becoming the 266th pope on March 13, 2013. His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, announced his retirement a month earlier, citing his advanced age. (Photo: AP)

The Pope answers questions from reporters upon returning from a trip to Brazil in July 2013. In a surprise press conference, the Pope said he would not “judge” gays and lesbians, including gay priests. “If there is a gay person and he turns to God with good will, who am I to judge him?” he said. Many saw the statement as the beginning of a more tolerant era in the Catholic Church. (Photo: AP)

The Pope was named Person of the Year 2013 by Time magazine. (Photo: Time Magazine)

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip meet the Pope during a one-day visit to Rome in April 2014 (Photo: Getty Images)

The Pope signs the guestbook while meeting bishops in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2014. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Pope kisses a little girl on the forehead during a special audience at the Vatican in November 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

The Pope blows out candles to celebrate his 78th birthday in December 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

Pope Francis shakes hands with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro in September 2015. During his visit to Cuba, the Pope praised the atmosphere of reconciliation between Cuba and the United States. (Photo: AP)

The Pope accompanies US President Barack Obama before a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in September 2015. This is the Pope’s first visit to the US. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Pope waves to the crowd from the Capitol (USA) in September 2015. (Photo: New York Times)

The Pope addresses the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. In his speech, he called on world leaders to adopt concrete solutions to combat poverty and environmental destruction. (Photo: AP)

The Pope tries on a traditional wide-brimmed hat he received from a Mexican journalist while on a flight to the country in February 2016. (Photo: AP)

The Pope meets migrants at the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos in April 2016. He received an emotional welcome during his visit, as he expressed solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Pope stands with US President Donald Trump and his family during a private audience at the Vatican in May 2017. The US President was accompanied by his wife, Melania, and daughter, Ivanka. (Photo: AP)

The Pope speaks to the crew on the International Space Station (ISS) in October 2017. (Photo: AP)

The Pope is greeted by a group of nuns at the Vatican in August 2018. (Photo: AP)

The Pope received Russian President Vladimir Putin and his delegation in July 2019. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Pope delivers a speech during a meeting of religious leaders at a university in Bangkok, Thailand, in November 2019. Thailand is the starting point for the Pope’s seven-day Asian tour, which will also include a visit to Japan. (Photo: AP)

The Pope gives a blessing from the window of his private library in March 2020. St. Peter’s Square is usually packed with tens of thousands of visitors, but the Vatican is currently on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: AP)

The Pope shakes hands with a man dressed as Spider-Man as he visits the faithful at the Vatican in June 2021. The masked man, who works with sick children at the hospital, also presented a Spider-Man mask to the Pope. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Pope holds a flag brought from Bucha, Ukraine, during an audience at the Vatican in April 2022. (Photo: AP)

In April 2023, the Pope was discharged from the hospital after being treated for bronchitis. In this photo, the Pope comforts Serena Subania, a woman whose 5-year-old daughter recently passed away. (Photo: AP)

The Pope met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican in May 2023. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Mr Zelensky and the Pope since the conflict broke out in February 2022. The Pope spoke out in favour of ending the war. (Photo: Getty Images)

Pope Francis greets a child during a welcoming ceremony in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in September 2023. (Photo: Reuters)

Pope Francis attends a working session on artificial intelligence at the G7 summit near Bari, Italy, in June 2024. He is the first pope to attend the summit, and is determined to use his influence to try to ensure that the development of AI will only serve humanity and not turn into a 21st-century Frankenstein monster. (Photo: Reuters)

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico meets Pope Francis at the Vatican in February 2025. Later that day, the pope was taken to a hospital in Rome. Doctors said he had inflammation in both lungs. (Photo: Reuters)

In March 2025, the Vatican released the first photo of the pope since his hospitalization. The photo was taken inside the chapel of the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. (Photo: Vatican Press Office)

Pope Francis appears in public after being discharged from hospital in March 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

The Pope meets with US Vice President JD Vance on April 20 at the Vatican. (Photo: Reuters)

The Pope attended Easter Mass and gave the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from St. Peter’s Square on April 20. He died a day later. (Photo: Getty Images)