India, April 21 -- On April 21, 2025, Argentina woke to the sorrowful news that Pope Francis, the beloved former archbishop of Buenos Aires, had passed away at the age of 88 in the Vatican after a long battle with illness. Born Jorge Bergoglio in 1936 to Italian immigrant parents, he became the first Latin American pope in history, earning global admiration for his focus on social justice and advocacy for the poor.

While some in Argentina mourned that he never returned to his homeland as a pontiff, his legacy as a champion of the marginalised resonated far beyond the shores of his native land.

Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei wrote on X, "It is with profound sorrow that I learnt this sad morning that Pope Francis, Jorge Be...