After severe health complications, the 88year-old Pontiff died on Easter Monday. The day before, Francis was in St Peter's Square, Rome, bestowing his blessings on the world's faithful. The pope we saw and admired on Easter Sunday was a fragile one. His death was expected, but it still came as a shock.

The Bishop of Rome served till his last breath. The Catholic world has been in mourning since he passed.

This was a Pope like no other. He was, first and foremost, a social reformer. Francis was often seen as a disruptor and a threat by the Catholic Church's most conservative forces. He was known to infuriate conservatives, and they opposed him to the best of their abilities.

For decades, remarried divorcees were cast aside and denied communion. He challenged that, to the consternation of the conservative forces within the Roman Curia.

When someone asked him whether a gay man could become a priest, his reply was 'Who am I to judge?'

Francis ditched the unnecessary flattery and ceremonies that some of his predecessors regaled in and chose to act humbly.

He lived in a different building from those of his predecessors, and he shall be the first Pope to be buried outside the Vatican.

He wanted the Church to resemble a 'field hospital', giving utmost priority to the poor and the needy.

Francis was the first non-European Pope in 1,300 years. Of Italian roots, he spent his youth and most of his adult life in Argentina and had a normal youth. In his autobiography 'Hope', which he wrote with the intention of having it published after his death but then changed his mind and published it, he refers to his brief stint as a 'nightclub bouncer' and mentions a girl whom he liked. But then he dedicated his life to God, becoming a Jesuit priest, a Bishop, a provincial superior of the Jesuits order, and a Cardinal until he was chosen as the successor of Peter to lead God's Church on earth.

Jorge Bergoglio, who chose the name 'Francis' when he became Pope, walked in the footsteps of his namesake, Francis of Assisi, the 13th century champion of the poor: humility and the love for the poor. Above all, he was a fierce critic of war.

He chastised world leaders for promoting war and weaponry over peace and diplomacy. He spoke vociferously against the genocide in Gaza and the Russian aggression of Ukraine, and he did so until his very last breath.

"War is always incomprehensible. War is always a useless massacre. It made me and makes me ill. I feel it in my flesh" (Hope, the autobiography of Pope Francis)

He ruffled feathers, both in the Roman Curia and amongst the international political community. He was not one to mince his words when it came to speaking up in favour of the marginalized, the poor, and the suppressed. And he did encounter fierce opposition within the Church, especially on his progressive views on the role of women within the Church leadership - he was the first Pope to appoint a woman - a nun - to one of the highest positions within the Vatican.

"If we clerics don't understand what a woman is and what a woman's theology is, we will never understand what the church is". (Hope, the autobiography of Pope Francis).

Francis respected tradition, but for him, tradition meant moving forward. He himself said, on more than one occasion, that "the Church cannot be the congregation of happy bygone days". (Hope, the autobiography).

He was not one to judge people and label them, but a person who loved with much care and compassion. He was loved for his simplicity by the world faithful and respected by the religious leaders of different faiths. Francis sought to bring people and religions together, for his mission was to bring God and His mercy to people's lives.

Amongst one of the greatest achievements of his papacy was the ecumenical gathering for prayer and for peace in the Middle East that he held in Bari, Italy in 2018 with 22 heads of Christian churches.

I recall his visit to Malta in 2022.

It was a privilege to meet this great leader whose only agenda was love.

In Malta, Francis received a warm welcome from the Maltese and the government alike. But perhaps the most touching part of his visit amongst us was when he met that holy man, Fr Dionysius Mintoff, the Franciscan friar who is the epitome of simplicity himself.

Their photo greeting each other warmly shall remain immortalized in my mind as the meeting of two great minds, the finest of people who dedicated their entire lives to helping others. They fought indifference all their lives. Fr Mintoff still does, blessed with old age he continues the work of Francis the Pope, and of Francis the Saint, whom they both revered.

Eschewing some of the arcane rites that take place when a Pope dies, Francis has planned a stripped-down funeral for himself. As I write, thousands of people are in St Peter's Square to pay

their respects and when the Pope is laid to rest, 700 plus Cardinals shall congregate at the Sistine Chapel to elect a new Pontiff who will have to step into the shoes of one of the greatest world leaders of all time. Francis: The social reformer and the champion of the poor.

Francis Zammit Dimech

The second beloved Francis to pass away on the same day was our own Francis Zammit Dimech.

He was truly one who loved the political method with all his heart. He was a Christian democrat through and through, with a clarity of mind, sense of humour and a total commitment to the party he loved and lived for.

He was always there to provide advice, and I used to discuss with him matters relating to culture, which he loved with a passion.

My most sincere condolences to his family and friends. Truly we lost a gentleman who always stood his ground but never hurt his political adversary.