2013 papal conclave in the context of Archbishop of Buenos Aires

Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 13 March 2013 until his death in 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a family of Italian origin, Bergoglio was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958 after recovering from a severe illness. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the 2013 papal conclave elected Bergoglio as pope on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.

On 21 April 2025 (Easter Monday), at 07:35 CEST (UTC+2), Pope Francis died at the age of 88 at Domus Sanctae Marthae in Vatican City. His death was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo, in a broadcast by Vatican Media and in a video statement at 09:45 on the same day. Francis had served as pope, the head of the Catholic Church, for twelve years since his election on 13 March 2013. He was the second pope to die in office in the 21st century, after John Paul II in 2005.

Francis's death followed a five-week stay in hospital a month earlier, where he suffered from a respiratory tract infection and double pneumonia. The cause of his death was officially registered as a stroke followed by irreversible cardiac arrest. Francis's Requiem Mass was celebrated on 26 April, five days after his death, and he was buried at Santa Maria Maggiore. The consequent conclave, which began on 7 May, elected Robert Francis Prevost as Francis's successor, who took the papal name Leo XIV, and was inaugurated on 18 May.

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took effect on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 Roman-Vatican Time, following Benedict XVI's announcement of the same on 11 February. It made him the first pope to relinquish the office since Gregory XII was forced to resign in 1415 to end the Western Schism, and the first pope to voluntarily resign since Celestine V in 1294.

All other popes in the modern era have held the position from election until death. Benedict resigned at the age of 85, citing declining health due to old age. The conclave to select his successor began on 12 March 2013 and on 13 March 2013 elected cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who took the name of Francis.

Giovanni Battista Re (born 30 January 1934) is an Italian Catholic prelate who has served as Dean of the College of Cardinals since 2020. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2001 and served as prefect of the Congregation for Bishops from 2000 to 2010. As the most senior cardinal-bishop in attendance, he chaired the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.