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.
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