Pope Francis has died at the age of 88.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church passed away earlier today, roughly a month after being discharged from a Rome hospital where he had been receiving treatment for respiratory issues.
Before being elected to the papacy in 2013, Francis served for over a decade as both archbishop and cardinal.
His election marked several historic firsts, including being the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first non-European pope since the 8th century.
Known for his progressive views on science, Pope Francis openly supported concepts like evolution and the Big Bang theory.
His tenure also saw the Church grappling with the legacy of widespread child sexual abuse involving thousands of clergy members, with some cases stretching back five decades.
In response, Francis convened a landmark four-day summit at the Vatican in February 2019 to address the crisis and implemented significant reforms aimed at increasing transparency and accountability within the Church.
