Pope Francis died at the age of 88

Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff, died on Monday. He enchanted the world with his humble attitude and care for the poor while alienating conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change. He was 88.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell spoke from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lives.

Throughout his 12-year papacy, Francis was a change agent, inheriting a Vatican in disarray in 2013 following the shocking departure of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a symbol of Roman Catholic conservatism.

Francis progressively pushed the church in a new direction, refilling its leadership with a broad group of bishops who shared his pastoral, welcoming style as he strove to open up the church. Many lay Catholics agreed, saying that the church had become inward-looking and disconnected from ordinary people.