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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 34865, member: 636"]
Pope Francis died Monday morning at age 88 after living with lung problems. He spent over a month in the hospital this year fighting pneumonia. For twelve years as leader of Catholics worldwide, he brought fresh energy to the church with his humble style.

The former Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina chose to live simply. He welcomed everyone - poor people, refugees, LGBTQ+ Catholics - breaking with tradition. Francis often visited poor countries instead of wealthy ones. He worked to fix church money issues but faced criticism from conservatives who disliked his progressive views.

Francis made key changes like allowing priests to bless same-sex couples. He fought against climate change, helped migrants, and spoke against wealth inequality. His health problems included colon surgery, bad knees, and breathing issues. He faced his biggest crisis when he mishandled abuse cases in Chile, but later apologized directly to victims.

Born to Italian immigrants, Francis felt called to religious life as a teenager. He lost part of a lung early on. During Argentina's dictatorship, he secretly helped save many lives. Cardinals elected him pope after Benedict resigned, creating the rare situation of two popes living at the Vatican.
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