A Pontiff’s Final Benediction: The Death of Pope Francis and the Enduring Imprint of a Reformist Papacy

On April 21, 2025, the Catholic Church — and indeed the world — was met with a seismic moment in modern ecclesiastical history. Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed away peacefully at the age of 88 in his Vatican residence following a stroke and subsequent heart failure. The timing was profoundly symbolic. It occurred the morning after Easter Sunday, a sacred day of resurrection and hope within the Christian tradition.

Though his health had visibly declined in recent months, with multiple hospitalizations and visible frailty, the Pope’s sudden passing nonetheless struck a poignant chord across the globe. It marked not only the end of a papal era, but the closing chapter of a leadership style that had redefined the contemporary Catholic identity.

Pope Francis’ ascension to the papacy in 2013 was a historical milestone on several fronts: he was the first Jesuit, the first Latin American, and the first non-European pope in over 1,200 years. But beyond these symbolic breakthroughs, his leadership embodied a pastoral, reform-minded approach that emphasized moral courage over institutional tradition.

From the outset, Pope Francis chose to reside in a modest guesthouse rather than the lavish Apostolic Palace — an…