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Live updates: Pope Francis, a towering figure on the world stage, dies at 88 : NPR
Pope Francis on a visit to Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, in September 2015.
Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photo/Getty Images
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Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photo/Getty Images
Before becoming pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio had traveled very little.
As Pope Francis, he became a global player, preferring to visit what he called the “periphery” of the world, in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
His travels included visits to Myanmar, Bangladesh, Japan, the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Uganda, Madagascar, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, Ecuador, Chile and Cuba, among other countries.
He helped restore relations between the U.S. and Cuba during the Obama administration.
And his watchwords were “encounter,” “dialogue,” “reconciliation” and “build bridges, not walls.”
Interfaith dialogue was one of the pillars of his papacy — he forged closer ties with the Orthodox Church, Protestants and Muslims, and he continued the Vatican’s good relations with Jews set forth by St. John Paul II.
Francis had no qualms about delivering overtly political messages.
Accepting a prestigious European prize in 2016, he sharply scolded the European Union for its treatment of migrants and fraying sense of unity.
“I dream of a Europe where being a migrant is not a crime. … I dream of a Europe that promotes and protects the rights of everyone,” he said.