Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

On Monday, April 21st, Pope Francis I died in Vatican City in Rome.

On Easter, in defiance of medical advice, he gave a public speech before meeting with U.S.

Vice President J.D. Vans.

His staff had described his

health as improving just last week, but at 88 years old, and struggling with lung ailments,

his passing was not wholly unexpected. Francis was born in 1936 to an Italian immigrant family

in Argentina. Given the name Jorge Mario Borgolio, he embodied a number of first. He was the first

pope to have worked as a nightclub bouncer, the first to be born in the Americas, the first since

the eighth century to have not been born in Europe. He was also the first Jesuit Pope and the first

to accept the name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. And with a resignation of Pope Benedict

16th, he was the first pope since the 13th century to take office while a previous pope was still alive.

Even before becoming Bishop of Rome, Francis had a reputation of preferring informality over the

trappings of clerical office. He took public transportation, cooked his own meals.

More recently, as Pope, he chose orthopedic shoes over the famed papal red slippers.

He also built a reputation as a friend of outsiders,

speaking up for migrant peoples around the world and occasionally clashing with President Trump.

He spoke up for the dignity of the poor.

He reminded Roman Catholics that caring for the lease of these was not an optional aspect of faith and practice.

To quote his own words, we have to state without mincing words that there's an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor.

May we never abandon them,

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