People in Asia and around the world are mourning the death of Pope Francis, the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, who passed away in the Vatican City on Easter Monday. Just hours earlier, he had been seen in public for the last time during Easter celebrations. Francis’ papacy was known for his advocacy of humanitarian causes, the environment and interfaith dialogue. He was 88.
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00:00Pope Francis, the 266th leader of a Roman Catholic Church, has died in the Vatican City on Easter
00:09Monday, hours after being seen publicly for the last time during Easter. In Asia and around the
00:19world, an outpouring of grief marks a papacy committed to interfaith dialogue, social justice,
00:24and world peace. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, December 17, 1936 in Argentina, to Italian immigrant parents,
00:53Pope Francis studied chemistry before joining the Jesuits in 1958, age 21. He was ordained in 1969
01:01and became the Cardinal of Buenos Aires in 2001 under Pope John Paul II.
01:09In 2013, Francis made history as the first non-European pope in 1,200 years, stepping in
01:16after Pope Benedict resigned. He inherited a church in crisis, reeling from a financial scandal,
01:24ongoing criticism over child sexual abuse by priests, and declining influence in the West.
01:30In the face of these challenges, Francis took a different approach, one of openness and inclusion.
01:36His first steps taken as pope, in his modest black papal shoes, put the church on a different path,
01:56towards reform over tradition, and modesty over ostentation.
02:01During his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis championed migrant rights, environmental protection,
02:15peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, and global reconciliation. In doing so, he reshaped the
02:22world's largest Christian church and its 150 million members in Asia.
02:26Francis pushed for peace on the Korean Peninsula. He called for dignity and reconciliation in Myanmar,
02:54while stopping short of directly addressing the Rohingya crisis.
02:58In the Philippines, he supported marginalized communities and urged for peace among different religious groups.
03:05Francis' approach to Taiwan and China was delicate. His papacy continued the Vatican's official ties with Taiwan.
03:12The Holy See remains Taiwan's only official ally in Europe. But his papacy also sought engagement with China,
03:18approving a deal with Beijing on appointing bishops in 2018, despite China doing so without church approval.
03:25And to the Catholics with them, I ask them to be good Christians and good citizens.
03:33With Pope Francis' death, cardinals will soon gather at the Vatican to choose his successor. But the Church's future remains unclear. He leaves behind a more humanist institution, but one still facing significant challenges.
03:49As the world and the Holy See face an increasingly uncertain future, Francis' call for peace, compassion, and reconciliation may prove more important than ever.
04:01Lee Sin Pan and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.