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Pope Francis through the years: A life in pictures

Born in Argentina, Francis was the only Latin American pontiff and first non-European pope in more than 1,000 years.

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Pope Francis
Pope Francis walks past the alter in front of St Peter's Basilica in St Peter's Square after his inauguration Mass at the Vatican on March 19, 2013. [Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo]
By News Agencies
Published On 21 Apr 2025

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has died. He was 88 years old.

Born in Argentina, he was the first Latin American pope as well as the first non-European to serve for more than 1,000 years.

He was known for his simple words and humble manner that immediately won over the crowds.

After he assumed the papacy in 2013, Francis aimed to make the church more inclusive, opening up key roles to women and trying to address the issue of child sex abuse by Catholic clerics. Analysts, however, remain divided about the success of his efforts.

The 88-year-old pontiff was recovering from double pneumonia and was under doctors’ orders to observe two months of convalescence since he left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on March 23.

Francis suffered from a number of health issues throughout his life, including having part of one of his lungs removed at the age of 21.

He became increasingly fragile in recent years.

Here are some pictures from his life as pope:

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio celebrates the traditional Tedeum mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral on May 25, 2008 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio celebrates the traditional Tedeum mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral on May 25, 2008 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. [Emiliano Lasalvia/LatinContent via Getty Images]
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Pope Francis
Francis waves to the faithful as he is driven to his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 23, 2014. [Andrew Medichini/AP Photo]
Pope Francis
Sri Lankan Hindu priest Kurakkal Somasundaram, right, presents a shawl to Francis during an interreligious meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on January 13, 2015. [Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]
Pope Francis
Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, centre left, meet at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, on February 12, 2016. [Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate via AP]
Pope Francis
Francis lifts a child dressed like him as he greets the faithful at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on August 23, 2017. [L'Osservatore Romano via AP]
Pope Francis
Francis loses his skull cap as he holds up a cross with Spanish words that read, "I give you my peace," upon his arrival to meet with young people at the Shrine of Maipu in Santiago, Chile, on January 17, 2018. [Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo]
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Pope Francis
Francis twirls a football he was given by a member of the Circus of Cuba during his weekly general audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on January 2, 2019. [Andrew Medichini/AP Photo]
Pope Francis
Francis coughs during the Angelus noon prayer he recites from the window of his studio overlooking St Peter's Square at the Vatican on March 1, 2020. [Andrew Medichini/AP Photo]
Pope Francis
Francis, surrounded by the shells of destroyed churches, arrives to pray for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square in Mosul, Iraq, on March 7, 2021. [Andrew Medichini/AP Photo]
Pope Francis
Francis puts on a headdress during a meeting with Indigenous communities, including First Nations, Metis and Inuit, at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Catholic Church in Maskwacis near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on July 25, 2022. [Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo]
Pope Francis
Francis arrives in the popemobile at Ndolo Airport to preside over a Mass in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on February 1, 2023. [Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo]
Pope Francis
Francis wears a traditional hat during a visit to Papua New Guinea on September 8, 2024. [Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo]
Pope Francis
Francis sits with nuns at his weekly general audience at the Vatican on February 5, 2025. [Remo Casilli/Reuters]
Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the popemobile after the Easter mass, at St Peter's square in the Vatican on April 20, 2025. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the popemobile after the Easter mass, at St Peter's square in the Vatican on April 20, 2025. [Andreas Solaro/AFP]