Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires in 1936, faced a series of mounting health challenges during his final year. After battling double pneumonia and spending weeks hospitalized, a stroke and cardiac arrest on Easter Monday marked the end of his remarkable life. His papacy, defined by humility, social justice, and a powerful outreach to other faiths, deeply resonated with millions across the globe. As he championed the causes of migrants,
the environment, and the impoverished, his passing triggered a wave of mourning comparable only to that seen after Pope John Paul II’s death. The Vatican orchestrated an elaborate farewell: Francis’s body lay in state at St. Peter’s Basilica, while hundreds of thousands paid tribute before a funeral ceremony that drew global leaders, royalty, and religious dignitaries. Yet even amid the solemnity and grandeur, unexpected controversies began to emerge—casting a complicated shadow over what should have been a moment of pure reverence.