Latin American traditional Pope who changed Catholic Church, dies aged 88, triggering a centuries-old process of electing a new Pope. 

The Pope who has unhindered power over the entire Catholic Church, followed by 1.3 billion Catholics, is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, representing a direct line back to Jesus Christ, a living successor to St Peter, who was chief among Christ’s initial disciples, the Apostles, 

Francis was the first Pope from the Southern Hemisphere. He was also the first Jesuit to be elected to the throne of St. Peter. He presented himself as a compromise candidate appealing to conservatives with orthodox views on sexual matters while attracting the reformers with his liberal stance on social justice. He said shortly after his election “We need to avoid the spiritual sickness of a Church that is wrapped up in its own world. If I had to choose between a wounded Church that goes out on to the streets and a sick, withdrawn Church, I would choose the first”.