Pope Francis: Life in pictures

In his Christmas message of 2022 he spoke of a world suffering from a “famine of peace” and called for an end to the war in Ukraine – months later he welcomed President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Vatican.

And, as a Spanish-speaking Latin American, he provided a crucial service as mediator when the US government reopened diplomatic ties with Cuba in 2015 – holding meetings at the Vatican and visiting both countries that year.

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He also hosted the late Queen at the Vatican in 2014 and five years later the future King, Prince Charles.

He met actors and celebrities including Angelina Jolie and sportspeople such as Argentina footballing hero Lionel Messi.

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He even shook hands with Spider-Man…

Pope Francis greets Mattia Villardita, who visits children in hospitals in Italy dressed as Spider-Man

In tougher times, during the Covid pandemic, he cancelled his regular appearances in St Peter’s Square – to prevent the virus spreading – and declared that being vaccinated was a universal obligation.

Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the Vatican during the Covid pandemic

Controversial decisions

But his papacy has not been without challenges. Francis encountered resistance from conservative factions within the Church, who felt he was moving away from traditional doctrine.

He opposed abortion throughout his time as Pope, describing it as a “grave sin”, but allowed priests to forgive women who repented after having one.

And in 2023 he said priests would be allowed to bless same-sex couples – a significant advance for LGBT people in the Catholic Church – although the blessings were not to be part of regular Church rituals or related to civil unions or weddings.

However, the greatest challenge to his papacy came from those who accused him of failing to tackle child abuse.

Although the Pope talked of the Church taking decisive action to deal with the issue – including making it compulsory for members of the clergy to report suspected abuse to their superiors – critics contend that he could have done more during his papacy.

Despite the controversies, Pope Francis remained committed to the poor and marginalised, living a life of service and simplicity as he led the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics for more than a decade.

“A world full of hope and kindness is a more beautiful world,” he told the BBC over the Christmas period in 2024.