Mundo loses Francisco, the most progressive of Popes and 1st Latin American

The world lost, on Monday (21), Pope Francis, the most progressive of the leaders of the Catholic Church and the first Latin American to occupy the highest position of the institution. Jorge Mario Bergoglio died at age 88, at 2:35 am Brasília time, 7:35 am local time.

The Vatican did not detail the causes of death. But Francisco was recovering from strong pneumonia, which made him hospitalized for 40 days.

“The bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. All his life was devoted to the service of the Lord and his church. He taught us to live the values ​​of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we recommend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love,” Vatican.

Also read: How Pope Francis became the greatest progressive leader in the world

This Sunday (20), the Pontiff appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for the Easter message Urbi et Orbi, “leaving his last message to the church and the world,” the statement added.

Throughout the day, there will be a series of Catholic rites such as the suffrage mass at 14h and the rites of finding the death and deposition of Francis’ body in the coffin. The Pope will be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome instead of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

First Latin American

The 266th Pope and the first of the Americas was born in Bueno Aires on December 17, 1936 and took over in 2013, replacing Bento 16, which resigned from health problems.

Son of Italian immigrants, still a young man graduated in chemistry. He later chose the priesthood and graduated in Philosophy and Theology, and was also a professor of literature and psychology.

In December 1969, he was ordained a priest at the age of 32. As a Jesuit priest, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires and, later, in 2001, as a cardinal, by the then Pope John Paul II.

Also read: Pope leaves hospital and reinforces concern with the Gaza Strip

Simple and sensitive man, along his papacy, Francisco was notable for positioning himself less conservatively on various topics. Although at times he spent prejudiced speeches, in August 2023 he said that trans women were also “daughters of God”; Months later, the Vatican considered that a transsexual person can be baptized “like the rest of the faithful.”

At the end of the same year, under his leadership, the Vatican announced, in a historic decision approved by Pope Francis, that priests can manage blessings to same -sex couples, as long as they are not part of the regular rituals or liturgies of the Catholic Church.

Francis has also been a defender of peace in the world and manifested himself against wars and conflicts, such as Ukraine, and especially in defense of Palestinians against the attacks of Israel. Later this Sunday, in his last public speech, he said there was a “dramatic and unworthy crisis” in the Gaza Strip, condemned the increase of anti -Semitism around the world and emphasized that without religious freedom, there will be no peace.

It also defended workers and unionism, as well as criticizing capitalism. In 2015, in addition to accusing the system of practicing a “subtle dictatorship,” he said that capitalism imposes “the logic of profit at all costs, without thinking about social exclusion or the destruction of nature.” The Pope urged “the most humble, the exploited, the poor, and the excluded” to organize themselves, “Don’t be shy!”

In 2016, he stated that “the communists think them as Christians.” He added, “Christ spoke of a society where the poor, the fragile, and the excluded are the ones who decide. Not the demagogues, but the people, the poor, those who have faith in God or not, but they are whom we have to help obtain equality and freedom.”

With agencies