Pope Francis, the first to be Latin American, dies at 88

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and leader of the Catholic Church, died at the Vatican Monday. He was 88.

Francis, the Bishop of Rome, died at 7:35 a.m. local time at the Vatican and "returned to the home of the Father," Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said in an announcement.

He served as pope for 12 years and set a different tone for the papacy, focusing on humility for a Catholic Church facing scandals and accusations of indifference.

The Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope on March 13, 2013, and succeeded Pope Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation led to Francis' election.

Francis reached out to the LGBTQ+ community and cracked down on traditionalists, which created tension with conservatives in the Catholic Church. He ushered a new era of inclusion and opened the doors of the church to marginalized communities, including immigrants. His legacy is marked by preaching the Gospel back to the roots with helping the poor and chastising those who benefit from labor exploitation.

He also spoke against the war in Gaza. "This is cruelty," he said. "This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart."

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute chief of staff and Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of liturgical ceremonies joined Farrell when he made the announcement at the Vatican.

"Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, The Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father's house. His entire life was dedicated 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 for the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of God, One and Triune."

Archbishop José H. Gomez will celebrate the 12:10 p.m. Mass Monday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for Pope Francis, followed by a media availability at approximately 1 p.m. inside the Cathedral, 555 West Temple St., Los Angeles.

"I join the family of God here in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and Catholics all over the world, in grieving the loss of our Holy Father," Gomez said in a statement.

"In this beautiful Easter season, when we celebrate our hope in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we pray that the angels may lead Pope Francis into paradise, that the saints and martyrs welcome him, and that God in his mercy will make his face shine upon his faithful servant and grant him eternal rest in the love that never ends."

Gomez added that he will be spending the next few days reflecting with gratitude on the Holy Father's kindness and pastoral care for those in Los Angeles.

"Over the years, he appointed seven auxiliary bishops to assist me in serving the family of God and he was always quick to show his spiritual closeness to us in our times of need. It was just in January that he offered prayers and words of consolation as we faced the destruction caused by the wildfires in the Palisades and Altadena. I will never forget his fraternal comfort as we mourned the sudden taking of our beloved Bishop David O'Connell in 2023," Gomez said.

"Pope Francis showed us, by his constant example, that we should have a great devotion to the Virgin Mary, who is our Blessed Mother and the Mother of the Church. We turn to Holy Mary now, and we ask for her protection and tender care. May she wrap our Holy Father in the mantle of her love. And may he rest in peace."

Francis was diagnosed with chronic lung disease and had part of a lung removed when he was younger. He was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 for a respiratory episode that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days in the hospital.

Francis was pope during the coronavirus pandemic and asked his followers to use it as an opportunity to review the economic and political framework that he said was turning the wealthy against the impoverished.

"We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented," Francis told an empty St. Peter's Square in March 2020. Part of his message included stressing the need for "all of us to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other."

Additional reporting by City News Service.