Pope Francis greets the faithful during the general audience in St. Peters Square. Vatican City on March 29. Photo: Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at age 88, the Vatican announced.

The big picture: Pope Francis pushed the Catholic Church to the left, which satisfied Catholics seeking modernization but dismayed traditionalists.

• Francis, who had part of his lung removed in 1957, was hospitalized in early February with bronchitis. Tests “indicative of a complex clinical picture” revealed “a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract,” according to updates from the Holy See Press Office.
• The Vatican later disclosed Francis had developed pneumonia in both lungs.

Driving the news: The Vatican said in a statement that Francis died “at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.

• He had met briefly with Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican on Easter Sunday.

Zoom out: Francis was elected in March 2013 and was tasked with cleaning up a scandal-ridden Vatican.

Zoom out: The pontiff was outspoken on oft-politicized issues. He urged nations to welcome and safeguard immigrants and called for action to combat climate change.

• He recently spoke against the Trump administration’s mass deportations, urging followers of his faith “not to give in to narratives that discriminate” against migrants and refugees.
• In an interview last year, he characterized climate change as “a road to death” denied by “foolish people.”

Throughout his pontificate, Francis advocated for marginalized groups.

• In a book published last year, he called for an investigation into whether Israel’s military actions in Gaza legally constituted genocide.
• He also often emphasized the mission of caring for the poor, speaking out against inequality in his native Latin America and beyond.

Friction point: His candor and liberal view of a more inclusive Roman Catholic Church at times earned him rebuke from some members of an institution often reluctant to change.

• Asked about criticism from conservative U.S. bishops, he said they had a “suicidal attitude.”
• There is a distinction between taking “tradition into account” and being “closed up inside a dogmatic box,” he contended.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he took the name Francis when he became pope.

• He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, making him the first pope from the Americas and the first from outside Europe since the 8th century.
• Francis was also the first pope to be a member of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuit order.

What’s next: The College of Cardinals, composed of senior Vatican administrators and worldwide diocese leaders, will elect a new pope.

• They typically meet within 15 to 20 days after the pope’s death to choose his successor by secret ballot.

Go deeper: Pope Francis opens yearlong Jubilee