Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who captured global attention upon his historic election on March 13, 2013, as the first Latin American Pope, has passed away. Choosing the humble name “Francis,” he became the 266th Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church and held the position for 12 years and one month.

At the age of 88, Pope Francis has become the second oldest pope to die while in office. Only Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903 at the age of 93, surpassed him in longevity. Although his immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, passed away at 95, he had stepped down from the papacy at age 85 due to age-related reasons, marking a rare resignation in papal history.

Over his tenure, Pope Francis appointed a remarkable 142 cardinals from 70 different nations—a record-setting figure—highlighted by his final announcement on December 8 of last year, which included 21 new cardinals, such as Mar George Koovakkad. These appointees will play a crucial role in electing his successor.

Known for his global outreach, Pope Francis embarked on 47 international trips, spanning over 65 countries and covering more than 465,000 kilometers. He made historic first visits to nations including Iraq, the UAE, Myanmar, North Macedonia, Bahrain, and Mongolia—reaching nearly a third of the world's countries during his papacy.

Pope Francis also shattered records in canonizations, officially declaring 942 individuals as saints. This includes 813 martyrs slain during the Ottoman siege of Otranto in 1480, and 30 victims of Dutch Calvinists in Brazil in 1645. Among the canonized were five Indians—three of them Malayalis—including Chavara Kuriakose Eliasachan, Euphrasia (2014), Mother Teresa (2016), Mariam Thresia (2019), and Devasahayam Pillai (2022). Additionally, three of his predecessors—John XXIII, John Paul II, and Paul VI—were also elevated to sainthood. His broader sanctification efforts have touched 1,350 individuals at the beatification stage, eclipsing even John Paul II’s 483 canonizations during a 26-year papacy.

Pope Francis’s leadership also ushered in unprecedented reforms within the Vatican. He made history by appointing the first women to several high-ranking roles, including the head of the Vatican’s Governorate, a dicastery within the Roman Curia, the Dicastery for Bishops, and as undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops.

He also included women in key areas of Vatican diplomacy and theology, marking a significant shift toward inclusivity in the Church’s traditionally male-dominated hierarchy.