By Fatima Kermalli
Ernest Hemingway expressed, “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”
Sometimes, even the manner of one’s death can reflect the essence of a life lived. Such is true for Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became the 266th pope and took the name Francis, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi-a 13th-century friar known for his humility, poverty, and love for creation. Pope Francis admired these traits deeply and sought to embody them throughout his papacy.
After twelve years of papal service, on April 21, 2025, Easter Monday, Pope Francis breathed his last. A day before, on Easter Sunday, one of the holiest days in Christianity, the Pope blessed thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square. Thus, it is no surprise that he had the opportunity to reach out to thousands of devotees on such a significant Christian holiday before leaving this world, as his life was dedicated to serving God and humanity.
At the onset of his papacy, he told reporters, “How I would love a church that is poor and for the poor.” Consequently, he abided by humility and simplicity.
Immediately, Pope Francis broke with tradition and did not live at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, the official residence of the reigning pope, because he said he did not want to live in such grandeur. Instead, he chose to live at Casa Santa Marta, a modest residential building built in 1996, which was usually used as a guesthouse. It was built on the site of an ancient hospice for the poor, located on the edge of Vatican City.
His personal lifestyle continued to be modest. After he was elected in 2013, Pope Francis chose to travel on a bus with other cardinals instead of the official papal limousine.
Furthermore, the Papal Ring, called the Fisherman’s Ring or Piscatory Ring, is usually made of solid gold, but Pope Francis chose his ring to be made of gold-plated silver. He wore this ring for ceremonial occasions; however, on a daily basis, he wore a simple silver ring that he had from his time as a cardinal.
The Pope disliked seeing the public’s wealth wasted. After being elected, he told his sister to inform the rest of their large family of the news because, as he said, “I cannot call everyone. We are a very big family, so please send them my love. Because if I call everyone, it will empty the Vatican coffers.”
Pope Francis was diligent not only at the beginning of his papacy regarding the Vatican treasury but throughout and up to the end. He was not overcome by the position he held nor by the wealth that the position entailed, as illustrated during his life and death. Although he had the opportunity to earn 340,000 euros a year, he never accepted the Vatican salary, as he had made vows of poverty and lived with fairness.
When he died, Pope Francis had only $100 as his personal inheritance. He had no bank accounts, properties, or investments to his name.
Even in his last testament, he made arrangements that broke with papal tradition and ordained for himself an unpretentious burial. He chose to be buried outside the Vatican at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, in a simple underground tomb with only “Franciscus” written on it, rather than in the Vatican crypt where many of his predecessors rest. The coffin he chose was wooden and lined with zinc, instead of being buried in the traditional three coffins-each made of cypress, lead, and elm and placed inside one another. He remained in the open coffin for the lying in state, whereas other popes have been laid out resting on cushions on a platform.
Besides his modest life, Pope Francis’s legacy is filled with outreach, advocacy, hope, and kindness. After his election to the papacy, Pope Francis spoke to journalists and demonstrated the honorable values he felt for all people by stating, “Not everyone present belongs to the Catholic faith and others do not believe,” the pope said. “I respect the conscience of each one of you,” he continued, “knowing that each one of you is a child of God. May God bless you.”
In his years of papal service, he traveled extensively and met with leaders and people championing for the environment, women, immigrants, refugees, the poverty-stricken, and people from other faiths. He felt deeply for the oppressed and spoke openly against injustice. Pope Francis sought to reach out to people the best he could.
Every day since the beginning of the war 18 months ago, the pope called the Holy Family Church in Gaza City around 8 p.m., the besieged territory’s only Catholic parish. On most days, the call lasted about 15 minutes, during which the pope would speak with the church leaders and some of the Palestinians sheltering at the church. Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor said, “All the time he called us throughout this war – this horrible war – for more than a year and a half, he would call for peace and send his blessings to all of Gaza’s people.” Pope Francis last call was on Saturday. At the usual time, the pontiff held one of his shortest phone calls with the church. It lasted less than a minute, Romanelli said. “He was so sick but insisted to do that call as usual.”
Hence, from the beginning, Francis repeatedly called for an end to the war, the release of the hostages, and aid for the starving people. He was an outspoken critic of the siege on the territory. In his Easter message the day before he died, he did not forget the people of Palestine as he wished that “the light of peace radiate throughout the Holy Land and the entire world.”
Furthermore, the Pope’s efforts in bringing about religious unity with various faiths were both profound and historical. On February 4, 2019, Pope Francis met with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Together they signed the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. This document supported human compassion and solidarity. Both the Pope and Tayeb discussed how different faiths can live peacefully together; consequently, they created this document as a guide for advancing a “culture of mutual respect.”
Pope Francis did not end his efforts there to bridge relations with Muslims. On March 6, 2021, he met with Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani in his home in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, bridging a connection between the Catholic Church and the Shiite Muslim community. This was the first time a pope visited Iraq. In this meeting, he signed a joint statement with the Ayatollah condemning extremism and promoting peace.
These encounters demonstrated to the world the shared moral and ethical responsibilities of religious leaders at the highest level to foster relations and establish peaceful coexistence.
Pope Francis, marked by humility, sincerity, and a relentless pursuit of peace, was not only an example for over 1.4 billion Catholics globally but for the whole of humanity.
Thus, Pope Francis’s life, which distinguished him among men by these details, defined and distinguished him in his death. He has also left a legacy in his teachings even while ill.
Pope Francis wrote the following while in the hospital:
“The walls of hospitals have heard more honest prayers than churches…
They have witnessed far more sincere kisses than those in airports…
A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar.
In intensive care, you see a Jew taking care of a racist.
A police officer and a prisoner in the same room receiving the same care.
A wealthy patient waiting for a liver transplant, ready to receive the organ from a poor donor.
It is in these moments, when the hospital touches the wounds of people, that different worlds intersect according to a divine design. And in this communion of destinies, we realize that alone, we are nothing.
The absolute truth of people, most of the time, only reveals itself in moments of pain or in the real threat of an irreversible loss.
A hospital is a place where human beings remove their masks and show themselves as they truly are, in their purest essence.
This life will pass quickly, so do not waste it fighting with people.”
Do not criticize your body too much.
Do not complain excessively.
Do not lose sleep over bills.
Make sure to hug your loved ones.
Do not worry too much about keeping the house spotless.
Material goods must be earned by each person—do not dedicate yourself to accumulating an inheritance.
You are waiting for too much: Christmas, Friday, next year, when you have money, when love arrives, when everything is perfect…
Listen, perfection does not exist.
A human being cannot attain it because we are simply not made to be fulfilled here.
Here, we are given an opportunity to learn.
So, make the most of this trial of life—and do it now.
Respect yourself, respect others. Walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you.
Respect: do not comment, do not judge, do not interfere.
Love more, forgive more, embrace more, live more intensely!
And leave the rest in the hands of the Creator.”
