FINAL MEETINGS

Doctors had prescribed two months of rest when the pope left hospital last month but he appeared on a number of occasions and met Britain's King Charles in April and had a brief meeting on Sunday with visiting U.S. Vice-President JD Vance.

"My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him," Vance said on X.

Other world leaders were reacting to the pope's death with praise for his efforts to reform the worldwide church and offering condolences to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni mourned the departure of "a great man, a great shepherd".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "He inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate."

Jose Ramos-Horta, the president of East Timor, where Francis visited in September 2024 as part of the longest foreign trip of his papacy, said the pope "leaves behind a profound legacy of humanity, of justice, of human fraternity".

12-YEAR PAPACY

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, surprising many Church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.

He sought to project simplicity into the grand role and never took possession of the ornate papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors, saying he preferred to live in a community setting for his "psychological health".

He initiated changes within the Vatican, emphasizing transparency, accountability and financial reform, and appointed more women to senior posts in its hierarchy. However, he was also viewed as a haphazard leader, often blindsiding Vatican officials with his off-the-cuff comments.

He struggled to get a grip on the Church's crisis over sexual abuse by clerics and he inherited a Church torn by infighting in the Vatican bureaucracy, and was elected with a clear mandate to restore order.

But as his papacy progressed, he faced criticism from conservatives, who accused him of trashing cherished traditions. He also drew the ire of progressives, who felt he should have done much more to reshape the 2,000-year-old Church.

While he struggled with internal dissent, Francis became a global superstar, drawing huge crowds on his many foreign travels as he tirelessly promoted interfaith dialogue and peace, taking the side of the marginalised, such as migrants.

Unique in modern times, there were two men wearing white in the Vatican for much of Francis' rule, with his predecessor Benedict opting to continue to live in the Holy See after his shock resignation in 2013. Benedict, a hero of the conservative cause, died in December 2022.

Francis appointed nearly 80% of the cardinal electors who will choose the next pope, increasing the possibility that his successor will continue his progressive policies, despite the strong pushback from traditionalists.

Reuters

#pope-dies

Italy's Serie A reschedules matches due to Pope Francis' funeral

Watch VideoDid Nostradamus foresee Pope Francis’s death and a dark-skinned successor?

A nation in grief: Argentina mourns the death of Pope Francis

Vatican announces the death of Pope Francis, a transformative leader

Did Nostradamus foresee Pope Francis’s death and a dark-skinned successor?