The Catholic Church leader, Pope Francis, died Monday at the age of 88, the Vatican announced. The pontiff had been released from the hospital about two weeks ago, following nearly two months of hospitalization due to pneumonia that nearly claimed his life at the time.
This ends nearly 12 years during which Francis held the "keys to heaven," according to Catholic belief, and led Vatican City.
The leadership position of the church, which counts more than a billion people among its faithful, remains vacant until a successor is appointed by the assembly of cardinals ("conclave"). Francis was the 266th pope since Peter – who according to Catholic tradition was appointed to lead the church by Jesus.
Francis was the first pope since the 8th century born outside Europe, a fact that had a profound impact on his papacy, which was perceived as a period when European hegemony within the church was broken. He was also, not coincidentally, viewed as a "liberal pope," certainly compared to his predecessor Benedict XVI.
Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, to a family of Italian origin. His father was born in a village in Piedmont province in northwestern Italy.
He was the eldest brother in a family of five siblings. In his youth, he studied at vocational education institutions and received certification as a chemical technician and worked for several years in a factory. At 21, he fell ill with pneumonia, an event that threatened his life. He said he chose a life of priesthood after confession in church and began his religious studies at a seminary in Buenos Aires in 1955. After three years, he joined the Jesuit order, a choice that would have profound significance for the rest of his life, his path to the Holy See, and his papacy.
After earning a degree in philosophy and a period during which he served as a teacher of literature and psychology at Jesuit educational institutions in Argentina, he returned to theological studies and was officially ordained to priesthood in 1969. In 1973, he was appointed to lead the Jesuit order in Argentina. He was an avid fan of the San Lorenzo soccer team, which announced it would name a stadium being built these days after him. After the team won the Copa Libertadores, he had to admit that although he was "very happy," it was not "a miracle."
During Argentina's "Dirty War," when the military junta persecuted regime opponents, Bergoglio was accused of silence in the face of the kidnapping of two priests from the Jesuit order. In a conversation he held with members of the order in Budapest in May 2023, he defended his actions: "I did what I felt I had to do to protect them... The wounds of those years remain in both me and them, because we all experienced this persecution."
In February 1998, he was appointed Archbishop of Buenos Aires, a position he held until his election as pope. In 2001, he was promoted to cardinal by Pope John Paul II, the highest priestly rank in the Catholic Church. Already with the death of Pope John Paul II in April 2005, he was considered a candidate to replace him, but ultimately Joseph Ratzinger was chosen for the position, who upon his election became Benedict XVI. After Benedict's unusual retirement from the position, he was elected in March 2013 by the assembly of cardinals to replace him.
From Jorge to Francis
When elected, Jorge chose Francis as his religious name, after St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), who founded the Franciscan order and revitalized the concept of monasticism, the ideal of modest living, and the church's proximity to the weak. He was the first to do so.
Francis's public image was that of a "liberal pope" who opposed capitalism, was somewhat tolerant of LGBTQ people, supported more equality for women, and represented the Global South against the West. As pope, he chose to live in a modest apartment rather than the elaborate papal palace. The custom of washing the feet of senior clergy by junior ones on Holy Thursday before Easter, he observed as pope by washing the feet of prisoners – and was unusual in that he included female prisoners in the ceremony, one of them Muslim.
In his first papal encyclical, he sharply criticized income inequality and stated that "as long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, no solution will be found to the world's problems." He devoted two papal encyclicals to climate issues: "Laudato Si" in 2015 and "Laudate Deum" in 2023. In an interview with CBS in May 2024, he warned that "we have reached the point of no return" and that "climate change at this moment is a path leading to death."
Francis led several changes in the Catholic Church's approach, especially through the document "The Joy of Love" published in 2016 after two church assemblies discussing family. The document did not officially change Catholic doctrine, but offered a more inclusive approach toward divorced people who remarried and established that each case should be considered individually. This is one of the most painful issues among Catholic believers, as the church believes that in most cases, second marriages are considered adultery. Francis sought to find a place for them within churches – but avoided significant changes to doctrine.
He also called for full equality for women in work and decision-making and spoke out against domestic violence. Regarding women in the church itself, Francis opposed the ordination of women to priesthood – but opened positions for them that were previously closed and gave them voting rights in forums that were closed to them.
On LGBTQ issues, as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis opposed Argentina's same-sex marriage law, which was approved in 2010. In 2013, he provided the most accepting statement toward LGBTQ people from such a senior church figure: "If a person is gay and seeks God, who am I to judge him?" In 2019, he expanded: "Tendencies are not sin. If you have a tendency to anger, it's not a sin. Only if you get angry and hurt people, the sin is there." In January 2023, he called for the repeal of laws criminalizing homosexuality, and in September of that year expressed openness to blessing same-sex couples, as long as it did not undermine the Catholic concept of marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman.
Man of gestures
But again, these were not "hard" theological changes. Francis was a pope of gestures, who knew how to make good use of the spotlight. He felt comfortable expanding the boundaries of semantics – without getting into real conflict around changes in doctrine. To some extent, this expectation was driven by the fact that he succeeded Benedict XVI, who was considered conservative and even known as "God's Rottweiler."
"There is no doubt that he brought with him a more liberal and open spirit, especially compared to Benedict XVI," says Dr. Maayan Raveh, an expert on political theology in the Middle East at the Haifa Research Center for Religious Studies, University of Haifa. "His very being from the Global South is significant in this context, as he brings with him social emphases and a different perspective." Raveh also points out the limitations of that liberal spirit of Francis. "He was very careful not to make substantial doctrinal reforms. Instead of changing the principles of faith, he allows for openness and interpretive flexibility in certain cases, while maintaining the traditional lines of the church."
Francis acted as a representative of the Global South in the Catholic Church. In his appointments to the College of Cardinals, he broke the European hegemony: its representation dropped from over 50% to just about 38%, while expanding representation from Africa, Asia, and Latin America and appointing cardinals from Catholic "periphery" countries. His choices increased the number of countries represented among the voting cardinals from 48 to over 70 countries.
Dr. Raveh qualifies Francis's image as someone who revolutionized the European hegemony in the church, saying that "his rise is a result of the changing balance of power in the church, a change that began in the early 20th century and intensified in the second half of the century, after World War II." She explains that "while the Catholic world in the Global North became less religious, the Global South became the main center of power for the church: today about two-thirds of Catholics in the world live in the Global South, and most of the clergy, nuns, religious and social institutions – including schools and monasteries – come from or are managed by clergy from these regions."
During his tenure, a severe migration and refugee crisis occurred – in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States – Pope Francis called on countries to increase the number of refugees they accept. Pope Francis attacked Trump during the 2016 election campaign, saying that "a person who thinks only about building walls and not about building bridges is not a Christian," referring to Trump's intention to build a wall on the Mexico border. Trump responded harshly, claiming that "it is disgraceful for a religious leader to question a person's faith," adding that he was "a good Christian."
In his remarks at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences conference in June 2024, Pope Francis stated that "after failed globalization, pandemics, and wars, we face a debt crisis affecting mainly the countries of the Global South, creating poverty and suffering" leaving "millions without a fair future." Additionally, he called on developed countries to forgive the debts of developing countries, while proposing to build "a new international financial architecture" with a multinational mechanism for managing debts between countries, with "shared responsibility" that would allow debt cancellation and give hope to poor countries.
As pope, he visited 59 countries – coming to Middle Eastern countries like Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, to war zones in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Far East, and throughout Latin America. He played, among other roles, a part in thawing relations between the United States and Cuba in 2014 and signed a historic agreement with China that on one hand gave the pope veto power over the appointment of bishops in the country and maintain open relations with the Catholic community in China, but on the other hand agreed to give the Communist Party a significant foothold in religious appointments in the country.
During the war in Ukraine, Francis disappointed many when he did not take an unequivocal stand against Russia – and continued to call for peace talks and an end to the war, while unable to point to the central culprit in the Kremlin. He did describe Ukraine as "tormented," prayed for the victims of the war, and condemned the bombing of cities in the country – but his statements often caused disappointment and anger in Kyiv and the Western world. On one occasion, he raised the possibility that NATO expansion led to the war, and another time he expressed himself in a way that hinted that Ukraine should embrace the courage of the "white flag" and negotiate, which many understood as a call to surrender.
Francis, whose first visit to Israel in 1973 was cut short by the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, maintained complex relations with Israel and the Jewish people throughout his tenure. His attitude toward Judaism as a religion was consistently positive – "A Christian cannot be antisemitic, since we share the same root," he emphasized many times. His long friendship with Rabbi Abraham Skorka, which produced the co-authored book "On Heaven and Earth," expressed his commitment to interfaith dialogue.
His official visit to Israel in 2014 reflected the art of gesture that characterized his tenure: from kissing the hands of Holocaust survivors at Yad Vashem and promising "never again," to a spontaneous stop to pray at the separation barrier. However, in his final year, in the shadow of the Gaza war, his harsh statements – about harm to civilians in a church compound, claims of "cruelty" and intentional shooting at children – became a source of significant tension.
Journalist Henrique Cymerman, one of Francis's close friends in Israel, presents a different picture: "In my lifetime, there has never been a pope so close to the Jewish people." Cymerman reveals that the pope "cried after meeting with the families of the hostages," and intended to visit Kibbutz Nir Oz, where Argentinian friends from his childhood live. "He would always say: it is permissible to criticize the activity of any government, but to say that Israel has no right to exist – that is antisemitic and forbidden."
Relationship with Israel and Jews
Francis, then still Jorge, first visited Israel in October 1973. He only managed to put down his suitcase in the room, say a short prayer at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before the Yom Kippur War broke out and forced him to stay in his room and return to his homeland. After being appointed pope, he came for a visit to Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority in May 2014. He met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, and visited the Western Wall, the memorial for victims of hostile acts on Mount Herzl, and Yad Vashem. He even came to Heichal Shlomo in Jerusalem and met there with the chief rabbis.
His visit here was full of gestures, to Israelis and Palestinians, in accordance with the pope's character. On one hand, he laid a wreath on Herzl's grave, visited the memorial for victims of hostile acts, the Western Wall, and Yad Vashem, where he kissed the hands of Holocaust survivors and promised "never again." On the other hand, when passing by the separation barrier, he asked, in what was described as a planned deviation from protocol, to stop by the wall and pray. He invited Abu Mazen and President Peres to come to the Vatican in an attempt to promote the two-state solution – and they did indeed come to the Vatican for a joint prayer event for peace.
There is no doubt that in Israeli public opinion, Francis appeared during the last war in a series of harsh statements against Israel. The Vatican condemned Hamas's October 7 attack, and the next day provided a relatively unusual statement for his pacifist position when he said that "those who are attacked have the right to defend themselves," but added that he was "concerned about the siege of Gaza and the Palestinians living there." His public statements quickly tended against Israel very rapidly.
Francis made sure to speak every day with the Catholic community in Gaza, both during the intense days of the war and during ceasefires. On December 16, 2023, a mother and daughter were killed in the area of the Catholic church in the Rimal neighborhood. The Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem blamed Israel, while Israel initially denied and later said the matter was under investigation. During that period, church institutions were also damaged during the fighting. Following this, in a sermon he delivered on December 17, 2023, he said that "civilians are targets for bombings and shootings, even within the compound of the Holy Family Church (in Gaza)," and he added that this was "terrorism."
On December 21, 2024, after the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem was not allowed to enter Gaza, he said: "Yesterday they bombed children. It's cruelty. It's not war." The next day he added: "With sorrow I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty; of the children who are sprayed with machine guns, of the bombings of schools and hospitals."
In another incident, on December 7, 2024, he participated in the inauguration of displays of the nativity scene designed by Palestinian artists from Bethlehem. Another controversy arose after excerpts were published from a book to be published soon based on interviews with him, according to which he said "it should be investigated whether Israel committed genocide in the Gaza Strip." The pope himself denied the statements to an interfaith delegation. "I did not claim that Israel is committing genocide. They showed me materials about the war, and I said that if it's true, it should be investigated. I believe that Hamas should no longer exist in the world, but the war cannot continue," he said.
"The Vatican over the years has taken a position emphasizing concern for the Palestinian people, along with a call for peace," explains Dr. Maayan Raveh, an expert on political theology in the Middle East at the Haifa Research Center for Religious Studies, University of Haifa. "However, Francis is unique in that he took on a broader international role, and saw the Vatican as a kind of global mediator." Raveh explains that his statements should be seen in the context of his overall approach to conflicts: "He not only refers to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but holds a firm position against wars in general, from a theological perspective that sees war as contrary to perpetual justice, this approach is also prominent in his attitude toward the war in Ukraine."
Professor Dina Porat from the Department of Jewish History and the academic advisor to Yad Vashem, says that one must "distinguish between Francis's attitude toward Judaism and his attitude toward Israel – since while the former is based on ideological perceptions, the latter is motivated by political positions." Porat, who also edited the book "At This Time" dealing with church-Jewish relations after the Holocaust, says that Francis was faithful to the "Nostra Aetate" declaration of the Second Vatican Council, which cleared the Jews of guilt in the crucifixion of Jesus, recognizes that the election of the Jewish people has not been revoked, and condemned antisemitism.
Francis's deeper and more personal connection with Judaism is in his long friendship with Rabbi Abraham Skorka, rabbi of the Conservative community in Buenos Aires. The two published a book together based on their conversations entitled "On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family, and the Church in the Twenty-First Century." Skorka also accompanied Francis on his visit to Israel. In one of the passages in this book, a dialogue between Francis and his friend Skorka is presented – interesting exchanges against the background of Francis's statements published during the war. "The media's habit of presenting things in black and white is an immoral tendency that always prefers conflict over unity... It causes great harm."
"A Christian is forbidden to be antisemitic, since we share the same root. It would be a contradiction between faith and his life," Francis often said. In a letter from 2013, shortly after his election, he wrote: "We hold the Jewish people in special regard because their covenant with God has never been revoked... We cannot consider Judaism as a foreign religion."
One of the Israelis closest to Francis in Israel was journalist Henrique Cymerman, who says that in the last half-year he met with him once a month. Despite the image portrayed to the public in the last year, Cymerman says that "in my lifetime, there has never been a pope so close to the Jewish people." He says that the pope asked to meet with him, but meanwhile entered the hospital. Henrique came anyway and met with his senior assistants.
"He would always say: it is permissible to criticize the activity of any government, but to say that Israel has no right to exist – that is antisemitic and forbidden," says Henrique. "After the statement about 'genocide,' I came to him for a meeting – he explained that these were not his words, but was only answering a journalist's question. I told him only one thing – 'I want you to know that this is not genocide, there are tragedies, but this is not genocide. This is a war that was forced upon us.'"
Henrique tells about plans that now will not be realized. "The last time I came to him, President Herzog was also supposed to meet with him. I suggested the meeting and he agreed, I'm sorry we delayed." Henrique adds another detail: "Francis wanted to come to Nir Oz, he has friends who grew up with him in Argentina there. He also wanted to come to the church in Gaza, if the security situation would allow."
Several hostage delegations came to Francis, and Henrique says that he also discussed the issue with other leaders. "I was in the south and covered the events, Francis called and said – 'I feel very close to you, they are taking us back 50 years.' He cried after meeting with the hostages and that evening called Biden, the Emir of Qatar, and el-Sisi in front of me."
Cymerman thinks that Israel was wrong about Francis, including regarding the controversy surrounding his statements during the war. "The thing with the keffiyeh, the display from Bethlehem, he didn't even understand what it was about," he says. "As soon as he saw the world uproar that arose against the Jewish communities – he gave an immediate order to stop it." He explains that "we have few friends in the world, Francis was one of them. We need to bring closer and not push away. People exploited it for local political gain and hurt Israel in the international arena."
