PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He was 88.
Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. But he emerged on Easter Sunday — his last public appearance, a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
Visit to Philadelphia
Part of Francis’ legacy will be the two special days Philadelphia welcomed him, in September 2015.
“I look forward to greeting the pilgrims and the people of Philadelphia when I come for the World Meeting of Families,” Francis said to the City of Brotherly Love before his historic visit — the first from a pope since 1979.
At the time, Francis was two years into his papacy, and a controversial figure for some in the Vatican, pushing the Catholic Church away from some of its more draconic traditions to embrace a modern, more digital, rapidly changing world.
For one, he preached for a world of harmony among all religions, “where every man and woman of different religious traditions can talk without fighting.”
During his visit, he spoke of a world plagued by the inequality of capitalism and those using it to gain exorbitant power.
“In a world where there’s many forms of modern tyranny that try to take away your religious freedom, or as I said before, reduce it to a subculture without voice or vote.”
That fight would shape the next 10 years of Francis’ time leading the Catholic Church, as he was often the voice for the world’s most marginalized. He pushed for more empathy for LGBTQ communities, advocated for immigrants fleeing crises worldwide, and remained a harsh critic of right-wing populism and the inequities of capitalism.
Those views on economic inequality were part of the reason why, when Jorge Mario Bergoglio, born in Argentina to Italian parents, became the first pope from the Americas, he took the name Francis, to honor Saint Francis of Assisi, known for his undying support of the poor and downtrodden.
Those values rang true even as he spoke on the Parkway nearly a decade ago. “In your heart, your spiritual mission, is the upholding of truth, the dignity of humanity and human rights,” the pontiff said.
And to fight the tyranny bearing down on the ever-changing modern world, Francis told Philadelphia that a unified voice of many faiths was the answer: “It’s necessary that the faithful of the diverse religious traditions unite their voices to call for peace.”
Remembering the pope
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is holding special services following the pope's death. In a statement, Archbishop Nelson Pérez said Francis “exhibited selfless dedication on behalf of the souls entrusted to his care.”
“He encouraged everyone to be an instrument of Christ’s compassionate love by extending a kind and merciful hand to the marginalized and those most in need. He challenged the Catholic Church throughout the world to respond to increasingly troubled times. … His rich pastoral legacy is a blessing that leaves an indelible and profoundly positive mark on the life of the Church around the world.”