The Vatican announced on Monday (April 21) that Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 at 7:35 local time in Casa Santa Marta, the Pope’s residence.
Cardinal Farrell publicly declared the news at 9:45 am local time, stating, “Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I announce that our Pope Francis has passed away. This morning at 7:35, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father’s house. His entire life was dedicated to the Lord and His Church.”
Cardinal Farrell highlighted that Francis “taught us to live the values of the Gospel with loyalty, courage, and universal love, especially advocating for the voiceless, the poorest, and the most marginalized,” and expressed gratitude by entrusting his soul to the infinite love of the Triune God.
Francis was hospitalized on February 14 due to bronchitis and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia on February 18. After 38 days of hospitalization at Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, he returned home for rest.
It is reported that he underwent lung surgery in 1957, making his lungs fragile. In his later years, he frequently suffered from respiratory diseases, leading him to cancel a visit to the UAE in November 2023.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis was the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the Americas, as well as the first Jesuit to be elected pope. He was already in his seventies when elected in 2013, succeeding Benedict XVI as the Bishop of Rome.
Benedict XVI voluntarily resigned in the same year, the first in nearly 600 years, leading to a period where there were two living Popes in the Vatican simultaneously – one serving and one retired.
He also became the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years. Since Gregory III from Syria passed away in 741, all successive Popes were Europeans.
In April 2024, Francis approved the revised Pontifical Funeral Rites book “Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis” as the reference for future papal funerals.
The new rite includes confirming death in a small chapel and immediately placing the body in a coffin. Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Prefect of the Papal Liturgical Office, stated that Francis himself requested simplification of the funeral rites, emphasizing the importance of “witnessing faith” over symbolic authority.
He stated, “The updated funeral rites emphasize that the Pope is a disciple and shepherd of Christ, not a secular authority figure.”
As of now, the Vatican has not yet announced the specific date and details of the Pope’s funeral arrangements.