Head of the Catholic Church from 2013 to 2025 Pope Francis was the 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 pope born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III. Wikipedia's most-read article for 3 days in a row: 5,629,678 views in all, peaking at 2,929,703 on April 21, 2025. Mon, Apr 21: 2,929,703 views Tue, Apr 22: 2,141,275 views Wed, Apr 23: 558,700 views Wiki link