UC Chile joins the Church's condolences on the death of Pope Francis

At 88 years of age, and 12 of those as Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis leaves behind a Catholic Church that he led with care and strength through times of uncertainty and pain, marked by a pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis of thousands of migrants, the uncertainty of the global economy, and the decline in confidence in the Catholic Church due to sexual abuse. Despite the challenging global circumstances, Pope Francis faced courage and humility in each event, occurrence, and contingencies within and outside the Church, with a missionary voice that proclaimed hope. 

He persisted in his commitment to social justice, in reflecting on the urgent environmental situation, in addressing the Church's institutional crisis, and in welcoming social, ethnic, religious, and cultural minorities. "We are all children of God. And God loves us as we are and with the strength with which each of us fights for our dignity," Pope Francis said in a January 2023 interview. 

"We are all children of God. And God loves us as we are and with the strength with which each of us fights for our dignity." - Pope Francis. 

The son of Piedmontese immigrants, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936. He graduated as a chemical technician, but his priestly vocation led him to the Society of Jesus. As a novice of the Society of Jesus, he completed his studies in Chile, and upon his return to Argentina, he graduated in philosophy at the San Giuseppe School. Along with his teaching work in literature and psychology, he also studied theology. He had many years of priestly and social work before becoming Archbishop of Buenos Aires. 

On March 13, 2013, the conclave was held after Benedict XVI resigned and Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope. He expressed his desire to be known as Francis in honor of the saint of Assisi, becoming Pope Francis, the first Latin American Pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church. He chose his name to honor a man of peace who lived in poverty, loving all creation. A choice that would guide his papacy, consistently placing human dignity at the center of everything. 

Despite displaying a reserved nature, the 266th Pontiff of the Catholic Church approached communities in a friendly and conciliatory manner. "My people are poor, and I am one of them," he once said while still a Jesuit priest in Argentina, serving as a humble, simple, and approachable pastor. 

Marks of a pontificate 

Pope Francis has been the Pontiff of mercy, synodality, and ecumenism. He addressed urgent and relevant topics such as ecclesial renewal, interreligious dialogue, the Church's missionary vocation, and sustainability. 

"Today, we bid farewell not only to an exceptional pastor who illuminated our path but also to a leader who, throughout his life and since choosing his pontifical name, Francis, was a testament to humility, consistency, and consequence. His profound call for us in academia to be driven with courage and faith to work tirelessly for the most disadvantaged leaves an indelible mark on our university mission," says UC Chile's President Juan Carlos de la Llera. 

"One characteristic of Pope Francis's pontificate has been his special attention to interreligious dialogue. While this theme had been present in recent popes, following the Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis mentions it regularly in his writings and confirms it with his actions and words," says Rocío Cortés, a professor at the UC Chile's Faculty of Theology. 

"One characteristic of Pope Francis's pontificate has been his special attention to interreligious dialogue." - Rocío Cortés, professor at the UC Chile's Faculty of Theology. 

According to the professor, an example of this was his deep friendship with Rabbi Abraham Skorka, with whom he embarked on an interreligious journey for several years, contributing to society through their conversations, dialogues, and joint writings. Also noteworthy was Pope Francis' 2019 meeting in Abu Dhabi with a delegation of Sunni Muslim leaders, led by the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, with whom he signed the document "Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together." 

For Román Guridi, a professor at the UC Chile's Faculty of Theology, on issues of environmental care, Pope Francis encouraged profound reflection "through the encyclical Laudato si' and the post-synodal exhortation Querida Amazonia. Both texts offer a suggestive narrative that inspires and guides Catholic believers toward caring for our typical home." According to the professor, however, "this is still taking place, and we will have to see how far the process of ecological conversation promoted by Pope Francis takes us. I believe the Pope offered texts and processes that point toward the goals set forth at the beginning of his pontificate," he asserts.  

“His profound call for us in academia to be driven with courage and faith to work tirelessly for the most disadvantaged leaves an indelible mark on our university mission," - President Juan Carlos de la Llera. 

His Years of Pontificate

During his twelve years of pontificate, he participated in meetings, traveled to various continents, and left behind symbolic and decisive writings as a great reformer and pastor. He experienced lasting moments, including masses held in large crowds, such as the one during his trip to the Philippines, attended by nearly 7 million people, and solitary Masses, such as the one celebrated in the middle of a rainy St. Peter's Square, where he prayed for the victims of the coronavirus at the height of the pandemic. 

Pope Francis wrote four encyclicals, beginning with Lumen Fidei, written in part by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. He then published Laudato si' on ecology in 2015, Fratelli tutti on universal brotherhood in 2020, and Dilexis nos, published on October 24, 2024, on the human and divine love of Jesus Christ's heart.   

He also wrote other vital documents, including constitutions and apostolic exhortations. The most important of these was Evangelii Gaudium, his first apostolic exhortation and roadmap for his pontificate. He also carried out the reform of the Roman Curia through the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium.  

Meanwhile, on Saturday, December 7, 2024, the Chilean Church celebrated a historic milestone with the creation of Monsignor Fernando Chomali Garib, Archbishop of Santiago and Chancellor of the UC Chile, as a cardinal during the Consistory held in the Vatican and presided over by the Holy Father. This milestone made him the ninth cardinal in Chile's history and highlighted his status as a diocesan archbishop, a significant event since recent Chilean cardinals have belonged to religious congregations. His appointment is a recognition of his extensive career in service to the Church and his commitment to issues such as social justice, dialogue, and community care. 

During his tenure, Pope Francis was affected by various health problems that, in recent years, left him unable to travel and required surgery and several hospitalizations. Despite this, he did not slow down his work. He directed his efforts toward building peace in Ukraine, Ethiopia, and the Congo. He continued working on the Synod of Synodality and the Jubilee of 2025 and planning several trips that would have been added to the 40 international visits he made during his pontificate, including 10 to African countries, 18 to Asian nations, 20 within Europe, and 12 to the Americas, including Chile.  

"Pope Francis's relationship with Latin America was very special, given that he was the first Latin American Pope. To some extent, Pope Francis made visible through his pontificate the richness and plurality of the Latin American Church, its social commitment, its cultural diversity, and the celebratory nature of the people's faith," says Federico Aguirre, a professor at the UC Chile's Faculty of Theology. For Aguirre, the Supreme Pontiff's relationship with Chile, in particular, was special, as it was the destination of his first apostolic visit in 2018.  

"Pope Francis made visible through his pontificate the richness and plurality of the Latin American Church, its social commitment, its cultural diversity, and the celebratory nature of the people's faith." - Federico Aguirre, professor at the UC Chile's Faculty of Theology.   

"That visit was marked by the crisis of sexual and conscience abuse and also by low attendance. Although there were initial disagreements regarding the issue of abuse, after the visit, the Pope took important steps to address the crisis, such as sending a heartfelt letter to the People of God on pilgrimage in Chile. I think it's not easy to speak of a legacy yet. Still, Francis' pontificate has marked a change of direction on highly relevant issues, such as the environmental crisis, social commitment, the institutional crisis of the Church, and the acceptance of minorities," comments professor Federico Aguirre.

Visit to UC Chile  

In January 2018, Pope Francis visited the Central Campus of UC Chile. On that occasion, he met with a diverse academic and cultural community, and more than 3,000 people listened to his message. "Academic excellence and professionalism, harmonized with faith, justice, and charity, achieve a prophetic force capable of opening horizons and illuminating the path," the Supreme Pontiff stated in his speech.

During his visit to UC Chile, the Holy Father emphasized the call for educational institutions to place people's dignity at the center of their work. "Knowledge must always be perceived as serving life and confronted with it to continue progressing. Therefore, the educational community cannot be reduced to classrooms and libraries, but must be continually challenged to participate," said Pope Francis during his visit to the University of California. 

As President De la Llera concludes, "As a UC Chile Community, center our work on our work his call to build a more just, merciful, and inclusive society, where we must consistently care for our common home and live our faith joyfully in the name of God." 

See photos of the Pope's visit to UC Chile.