Vatican announce the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday; Died at age 88

Pope Francis I was announced dead yesterday, Easter Monday, April 21, from the Vatican after the Easter celebration, commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The 88-year-old pontiff was the 266th occupant of the Holy See and the first Latin American pope from Argentina. He was elected as pope in 2013 by the college of cardinals after the resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

Reports indicate that he died at his residence at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest.

According to Vatican News, the Camerlengo of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, announced the death of Pope Francis at 9:45 AM (GMT) from Casa Santa Marta with these words (speaking in Italian):

"Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God."

Pope Francis started having health issues in 2020 and suffered double pneumonia this year, but his death came as a shock after he appeared in St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile to greet cheering crowds on Easter Sunday, suggesting his convalescence was going well.

Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, informed journalists on Monday that the body of the late Pope could be moved to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning to allow the faithful to pay their respects.

"The transfer of the Holy Father's body to the Vatican Basilica for veneration by all the faithful is expected to occur on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, 2025. The details of the arrangements will be finalized and communicated tomorrow after the first Congregation of the Cardinals," Bruni stated.

The ceremony to officially certify the Pope’s death and place his body in the coffin took place on Monday evening at 8:00 PM in the chapel on the ground floor of the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope's residence.

During the service, the death was formally announced, and the declaration was validated by Cardinal Farrell. The ceremony lasted just under an hour.

Seals were placed on the papal apartment on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace, as well as the second-floor apartment of the Casa Santa Marta, where Pope Francis had lived.

Bruni also mentioned that, as of Monday evening, Pope Francis' closest aides had started to offer their final respects. He added that the first General Congregation of Cardinals would take place on Tuesday morning, during which a date for the funeral might be set.

Pope Francis was hospitalized at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic on Friday, February 14, 2025, following several days of battling bronchitis.

Pope Francis on Easter sunday mass, St. Peter's Square Basilica

His condition steadily declined, and by Tuesday, February 18, doctors confirmed he had developed bilateral pneumonia.

After spending 38 days in the hospital, the late Pope Francis was discharged and returned to his Vatican residence at Casa Santa Marta to continue his recovery.

In his early 20s in 1957, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (birth name of Pope Francis) had part of his lung removed in Argentina due to a serious respiratory infection.

Over the years, Pope Francis experienced recurring respiratory issues, including an episode in November 2023 that led him to cancel a trip to the United Arab Emirates because of the flu and lung inflammation.

In April 2024, before his passing, Pope Francis authorized a revised version of the liturgical book used for papal funerals, which will be used in the still-to-be-announced funeral Mass.

The second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis introduces several new elements, including how the Pope’s mortal remains are to be handled after death.

The ascertainment of death takes place in the chapel, rather than in the room where he died, and his body is immediately placed inside the coffin.

According to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, the late Pope Francis had requested that the funeral rites be simplified and focused on expressing the faith of the Church in the Risen Body of Christ.

“The renewed rite,” said Archbishop Ravelli, “seeks to emphasize even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”