Pope Francis is dead at the age of 88. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church passed away earlier today about a month after leaving a hospital in Rome where he was treating for various respiratory ailments. A statement released by the Vatican from Cardinal Kevin Farrell read in part: “At 7.35am this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church.
Pope Francis’ birth name was Jorge Bergoglio and he was born in Argentina. As a young man, Bergoglio underwent surgery to remove part of one of his lungs due to serious infection.
Prior to the 2013 papal conclave, Pope Francis had served as both archbishop and cardinal for more than 12 years. Francis was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first pope from outside Europe since the 8th Century.