Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died on Monday, April 21 . He was 88. Read reactions of Massachusetts faithful and leaders.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born Dec. 17, 1936, to Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the eldest of five children. He was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1969 and led the religious order in Argentina during the country’s murderous dictatorship from 1976-83. He became archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and elevated to cardinal in 2001 by St. John Paul II. He was elected the 266th pope on March 13, 2013, on the fifth ballot.
His papacy was one of many firsts. Watch In Their Own Words: Pope Francis here
Today, April 22 is Earth Day. In 2015, Pope Francis wrote the first papal letter focused on the environment, Laudato Si. Watch The Letter: A Message for Our Earth
