Pope Francis, who was 88 years old, passed away.
The pontiff died on Easter Monday at his home in Vatican City’s Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican reported.
On Monday morning, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, confirmed Pope Francis’s passing from the Casa Santa Marta.
The Pope died at precisely 7.35 a.m., according to Farrel.
His death occurred just hours after he welcomed Catholic faithful attending Sunday’s Easter liturgy at the Vatican.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, I must announce with deep sorrow the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Farrel wrote in his declaration.
“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 favour of the poorest and most marginalised.
“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.”
As you may remember, Pope has been recuperating after being released from the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital.
The late Pope spent 38 days in the hospital before returning to Casa Santa Marta, his Vatican apartment, to finish his recuperation.
Following many days of bronchitis, the Pope was hospitalised on Friday, February 14, 2025.
On Tuesday, February 18, Pope Francis’ medical condition steadily deteriorated, and his physicians determined that he had bilateral pneumonia.
When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was in his early twenties, he had surgery in his home country of Argentina in 1957 to remove a section of his lung that had been impacted by a serious respiratory ailment.
As he aged, Pope Francis frequently suffered bouts of respiratory illnesses, even cancelling a planned visit to the United Arab Emirates in November 2023 due to influenza and lung inflammation.
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In April 2024, the late Pope Francis approved an updated edition of the liturgical book for papal funeral rites, which will guide the funeral Mass, which has yet to be announced.
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.
READ ALSO: Ailing Pope Francis Misses Lent Prayers
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 emphasise 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.”
