Pope Francis: The outsider who changed the Catholic Church - and the controversies that marked his reign

Champion of poor and marginalised dies aged 88

He was the modernising and humble Pope who blazed a brave new trail defending the poor and disadvantaged of the world, yet endured several stumbles on the path to progress.

Tributes have been paid around the world to Pope Francis, who has died at the age of 88, bringing to an end a pontificate that sent shockwaves throughout the Catholic Church and put mercy before doctrine.

READ MORE: Pope Francis death: How a new pope is selected - the mysteries of the conclave

His death comes after months of illness. Francis, who had chronic lung disease, was admitted to Gemelli hospital in Rome on Valentine’s Day for a respiratory crisis that worsened into double pneumonia.

He made a brief appearance in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, where he extended his good wishes and waved to thousands of worshippers. His traditional blessing, delivered by a clergy member, stressed there could be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others.

Pope Francis' death was announced by the Vatican on Easter Monday morning. (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images) | Getty

How Francis ascended to become Pope

His ascendancy to the papacy set several precedents. Francis was the first leader of the church from the Americas, and the first Jesuit, an order of clerics that has endured a tense relationship at times with the Holy See. He was also the first -and in all likelihood the last - former nightclub bouncer to helm the Vatican.

But in other ways, the Argentinian, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, sought to make a break with tradition, opting to live modestly in a church guest house as opposed to the lavish papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace. He eschewed the pomp and grandeur of the red mozzetta to dress in simple white vestments. Both signalled his determination to champion the cause of the marginalised and excluded, like the saint from Assisi from whom he took his name.

READ MORE: 'A voice for peace': The tributes to Pope Francis after his death - including from John Swinney, Keir Starmer, archbishops

The man who regarded himself as a “priest of the streets” installed showers for the homeless next to St Peter’s Square and housed Syrian refugees in the Vatican. When he made his first papal visit outside of Rome, he opted to visit the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, where he met with migrants who risked their lives trying to reach Europe, and held Mass amidst the hulks of shipwrecked boats.

His papacy, he once remarked, was one designed to bring the church closer to the “abandoned, the forgotten, the imperfect”, a moral mission he largely fulfilled by virtue of other convention shattering decisions. During his synods in Rome, he granted voting rights to female delegates for the first time, and in 2023, he announced the Vatican had granted permission for transgender people to be baptised.

Pope Francis kisses a child as he arrives on the island of Lampedusa, Italy. Picture: Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images | Getty Images

He also chose to use his influence to bridge the economic divide between developed and developing nations, pointing out repeatedly how the poorest stood to lose the most from climate change.

Even so, Francis was unable to overcome conservative opposition to some of his sweeping reforms, such as making it easier for remarried divorcees to take communion, or allowing married priests to serve. He also sided with conservatives on issues such as abortion and gay adoption, and stopped short of endorsing the use of contraception to prevent disease.

The controversies of Francis’s reign

The papacy of Francis was not wihout controversy. In 2016, five priests made a formal accusation before church authorities against Argentinian bishop, Gustavo Zanchetta, accusing him of sexual abuse and financial mismanagement at a seminary. Francis initially rejected the accusations, and created a job for his compatriot at the Vatican. Zanchetta was later sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for the sexual abuse of two former seminarians.

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Two years later, meanwhile, Carlo Maria Viganò, an ultra-conservative who was the Vatican’s ambassador to the US from 2011 to 2016, accused him of having ignored sexual assault allegations against a then senior US cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked by Francis the following year.

Pope Francis butted heads with conservatives in the Catholic Church during his papacy. Picture: Buda Mendes/Getty Images | Getty Images

Francis’s papacy also stoked tensions with conservative factions within the church who felt he had gone too far in embracing the LGBTQ+ community. But Francis did not back down. In 2023, he issued what was known as the Fiducia Supplicans, authorising priests to grant “spontaneous” non-liturgical blessings to same-sex couples.

While the full legacy of his papacy will be determined in time, Francis also had a significant say in the future direction of the church. He appointed more than 140 cardinals from non-European countries, ensuring the institution is far more global in outlook than it was when he was elected in 2013.

What happens next?

His death sets in motion an arcane and secretive ritual that has been followed for centuries to elect a new pope. That process, known as the conclave, has gained extra prominence in recent years thanks to a best-selling 2016 novel of the same name by Robert Harris, and a critically acclaimed film adaptation starring Ralph Fiennes that was released last year.

Individual cardinals vote for their preferred candidate by tipping their ballots into a bronze and silver urn inside the Sistine Chapel, until a successor is determined via a two-thirds majority. The conclave to elect Pope Francis took just two days, but previous votes have been drawn out over weeks, months and even years.

Those participating in the vote are shut off from the outside world, with mobile phones removed, and the likes of television, newspapers or letters deemed off limits. The chapel is also swept for listening devices, with jammers installed to prevent any electronic devices picking up the discussions.

The only clue offered to the outside world as to the progress of a papal conclave is the colour of the smoke that emerges from a copper chimney on the chapel; black smoke signifies that a decision has yet to be reached, while white indicates that a new pope has been chosen.