FRANCIS: First Anniversary
Pope Francis greets the crowd as he arrives to lead his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sept. 11, 2013. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — One year ago today, Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m., April 21, 2025.
It came the day after Easter, when — barely able to raise his hands — he gave his blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world). Looking drawn and worn, the 88-year-old pope from Argentina took his final ride in the popemobile, spending about 15 minutes among the crowd.
But then, the next morning, which was a major holiday in Italy, church bells tolled the death knell after U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, announced that Pope Francis had died just a few hours ago.
"His whole life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his church," Cardinal Farrell said in a video announcement broadcast from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where Pope Francis lived.
The Wikimedia Foundation said that its "Deaths in 2025" entry, which included Pope Francis, was their second most-read entry during the year. And plenty of people took the occasion to learn more about his life too, adding that "His English Wikipedia article was the 11th most-read (page) of the year."
Elected March 13, 2013, Pope Francis was the first pope in history to come from the Southern Hemisphere, the first non-European to be elected in almost 1,300 years and the first Jesuit to serve as successor to St. Peter.
Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Pope Francis was an untiring voice for peace, urging an end to armed conflict, supporting dialogue and encouraging reconciliation.
He gave new energy to millions of Catholics — and caused concern for some — as he transformed the image of the papacy into a pastoral ministry based on personal encounters and strong convictions about poverty, mission and dialogue.
His simple lifestyle, which included his decision not to live in the Apostolic Palace and his choice of riding around Rome in a small Fiat or Ford instead of a Mercedes sedan, sent a message of austerity to Vatican officials and clergy throughout the church.
Although he repeatedly said he did not like to travel, he made 47 foreign trips, taking his message of Gospel joy to North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital city, Dec. 17, 1936. He earned a chemical technician's diploma from his high school and entered the Jesuit novitiate in March 1958. He was ordained to the priesthood Dec. 13, 1969, and made his perpetual profession as a Jesuit in 1973.
Father Bergoglio was named an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires in May 1992, was appointed coadjutor archbishop five years later and became archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998; Pope John Paul II named him to the College of Cardinals in 2001.
Cardinal Bergoglio was a known and respected figure within the College of Cardinals, so much so that no one disputed a respected Italian journal's report that he received the second-highest number of votes on all four ballots cast in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.
Eight years later, Pope Benedict retired. Cardinal Bergoglio was elected to succeed him and chose the name Francis to honor St. Francis of Assisi.
"Go out" was Pope Francis' constant plea to every Catholic, from curial cardinals to the people in the pews. More than once, he told people that while the Bible presents Jesus as knocking at the door of people's hearts to get in, today Jesus is knocking at the doors of parish churches trying to get out and among the people.
From Pope Leo XIV:
Transcript of the pope to journalists on papal flight from Angola to Equatorial Guinea April 21, 2026
With this being the 1-year anniversary of the passing of Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV gave the following remarks to journalists aboard the papal flight this morning:
POPE LEO Translation into English from Italian:
Good morning, everyone. Having completed this part of the journey in Angola, I would first like to remember, on this first anniversary of his death, Pope Francis, who left and gave so much to the Church with his life, his witness, his words, and his deeds.
So often, he demonstrated this by truly living in solidarity with the poorest, the most vulnerable, the sick, children, and the elderly. He left so much to the Church through his witness and his words. We can remember many things, for example, universal human fraternity, seeking to promote authentic respect for all men and women, fostering this spirit of fraternity—that we are all brothers and sisters—and striving to live out the message found in the Gospel by recognizing this spirit of fraternity among all.
We can also recall the message of mercy from that first Angelus, or even from the Holy Mass he celebrated even before the inauguration of his pontificate, on March 17, 2013, when he gave his homily based on the adulterous woman and how he spoke from the heart about God’s mercy, about this great love of forgiveness and the Lord’s generous expression of mercy. And he wanted to share this spirit with the whole Church, also by holding that beautiful celebration of an extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.
Let us pray that he is already enjoying the Lord’s mercy, and let us thank the Lord for the great gift of Francis' life to the whole Church and to the entire world.
Note: NTC Staff has made minor contributions and revisions to this report, including combining two CNS stories for clarity and expediency.
By CNS news team