VATICAN CITY, April 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution. He was 88, and had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.
"Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican's TV channel.
"At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father."
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, surprising many Church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
He sought to project simplicity into the grand role and never took possession of the ornate papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors, saying he preferred to live in a community setting for his "psychological health".
He inherited a Church that was under attack over a child sex abuse scandal and torn by infighting in the Vatican bureaucracy, and was elected with a clear mandate to restore order.
But as his papacy progressed, he faced fierce criticism from conservatives, who accused him of trashing cherished traditions. He also drew the ire of progressives, who felt he should have done much more to reshape the 2,000-year-old Church.
While he struggled with internal dissent, Francis became a global superstar, drawing huge crowds on his many foreign travels as he tirelessly promoted interfaith dialogue and peace, taking the side of the marginalised, such as migrants.
Unique in modern times, there were two men wearing white in the Vatican for much of Francis' rule, with his predecessor Benedict opting to continue to live in the Holy See after his shock resignation in 2013 had opened the way for a new pontiff.
Benedict, a hero of the conservative cause, died in December 2022, finally leaving Francis alone on the papal stage.
Francis appointed nearly 80% of the cardinal electors who will choose the next pope correct as of February 2025, increasing the possibility that his successor will continue his progressive policies, despite the strong pushback from traditionalists.
Actually it was calling the recently deceased Pope a pedophile.
Sorry if anyone conflated he who covers for pedophiles with pedophiles and that hurt your feelings, I still don’t see the comparison.
You don't see the comparison between flippantly calling major religious figures pedophiles? What position does the pope hold in Catholicism, religiously?
And please do your best to be kind and respectful to comrades. The "hurt your feelings" sarcasm is dishonest and uncalled for.
One was actively protecting pedophiles this decade (flippantly?), one is from over a thousand years ago. I think the comparison breaks down. I also think you’re tone policing people who are condemned to eternal damnation by the logic of Catholicism and should step off
How so? What position does the pope hold in Catholicism?
And arranged marriages between adults and children still happen today among a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds. Among some of those that are muslim, they cite Mohammed and Aisha. This is something you will personally know about if you organize in diverse communities, there will be an uncle from [country] with a 13 year old wife and they are not excluded from community. It is a modern concern, not simply an artifact of "older" times. And yet I don't go around calling Mohammed a pedophile. I understand the intent of the statement, the impact it has, and that it would cut me off from that community, i.e. it would be antisocial.
This would also apply to most forms of Islam and many other religious and social tendencies. This is not a rational way of thinking about this topic and does not address what I said, but it is trying to emotionally escalate, which is part of the tendency that I am mildly criticizing from this position: be kind and respectful to your comrades and try to understand them.
Good luck organizing the pedophiles, your opinions are noted “comrade”
Please. Terrarium was speaking of foreign cultures, like some Muslim cultures, where some men do indeed marry teenage girls. One thing is taking exception to that practice, another is taking a jab at Muhammad (which was his analogy). The latter alienates not only the husbands of teenagers, but alienates that entire culture, and even Muslims from cultures that don't have this practice.
Please don't call entire BIPOC immigrant communities pedophiles.
Oh now we’re standpointing