Pope Francis, who challenged traditional beliefs and succeeded in changing the perception of the Catholic Church around the world, died on Monday. Pope Francis, who spent 12 years as the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88.

Pope Francis surprised many by appearing in a wheelchair outside the Vatican to greet the well-wisher on Easter Sunday. He died less than 24 hours later. Francis died at 7:35 a.m. local time on Monday at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta building, the Vatican said. 

'At 7:35 this morning, Bishop Francis of Rome returned to his father's house. His whole life was devoted to the service of the Lord and the Church," said Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, in a statement. "He taught us to live with integrity, courage and universal love, especially for the poor and marginalized. For his exemplary work as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we consecrate the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite mercy of God.' 

Francis was seriously ill with pneumonia. He was discharged on March 23 after spending five weeks in the hospital. Then a resting Francis appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Easter Sunday. In doing so, he called for the traditional 'urbi et orbi' (for the city and the world) for freedom of thought and tolerance.

Pope Francis was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in an Italian immigrant family who came to Argentina. His parents fled their ancestral country of Italy to escape fascism. The eldest of five children of his parents, he was seriously ill due to pneumonia during his childhood. Because of this, a part of his lung had to be surgically removed. He then had to deal with the infection for the rest of his life. 

Francis is the first Latin American to reach the highest office of the Roman Catholic Church. Francis' decision to be elected pope in 2013 surprised many. He was the first pope elected from the Southern Hemisphere (North-South America). After the death of the Syrian-born Pope Gregory III in 741, no non-European was elected Bishop of Rome.

Similarly, he is also the first Jesuit to occupy the chair of St. Peter. Rome historically viewed the Jesuits with suspicion. Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI, voluntarily stepped down in 2013. He was the first pope in nearly 600 years to voluntarily abdicate. After that, two popes lived in the Vatican Gardens for nearly a decade. He became Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and Archbishop in 2001. 

During his 12 years as pope, he initiated many new and innovative works. He created the image of a person who prefers a simple life and used to travel by air on an 'economy class' ticket. In addition, he usually wore a black gown like the priests.  In

sermons, he prioritized social inclusion and strongly criticized the government for not paying attention to the underprivileged. As Pope he also worked with Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist groups within the Christian faith. He encouraged Israel and the Palestinian leader to call for peace. 

Francis, who made a pilgrimage to South Sudan in 2023, asked the leaders there to end the conflict. He accepted the Russian claim that the Ukraine war was provoked by Russia. But he said that the Russia-Ukraine war is provocative and cruel and should end. 

Politically, he supported the Argentine government's claim to the Falklands. As a Spanish-speaking Latin American, he also acted as a mediator when the US government wanted to reach a historic agreement with Cuba. 

He did not make any agreement on voluntary death, death penalty, abortion, human rights and priest's celibacy. He was clear that the Church should not discriminate against anyone on the basis of sexuality. But he argued that when a same-sex couple adopts a child, there is discrimination against children. He refused to call same-sex relationships marriage as an attempt to destroy God's plan. 

During the Covid pandemic, Francis closed his regular religious gatherings in St. Peter's Square to prevent the spread of the virus. In addition to that, he demonstrated high human and moral responsibility by stating that vaccination against Covid is a global responsibility. 

Overall he became one of the world's most popular public figures. He regularly spoke out for the voiceless, opposed consumerism and individualism, and emphasized that unjust economic structures violated human rights. As Pope, he also had to face some challenges. Some accused him of not solving the child sex abuse case. During his tenure, allegations of child sexual abuse against the church gained prominence. Although he called for concrete action against the cover-up, he was criticized for not taking enough steps to punish the bishop who did not report child sex abuse priests. 

It was also alleged that he did not oppose the general who led the brutal military regime in Argentina and that he was involved in the kidnapping of two priests during the war in Argentina. Hundreds of people were killed and disappeared in the bloody war that lasted from 1976 to 1983. Thousands were tortured.