| Pope Francis, the 266th Pope and the first from the Americas, was born in Argentina into a family with Italian roots and died today at the age of 88 after a stroke and heart failure. He served as Pope for 12 years and was known for his humility, concern for the poor, and commitment to interfaith dialogue. He was the first Jesuit Pope but adopted the name of the founder and patron of the Franciscan Order, Saint Francis of Assisi. |
A series of ancient traditions rule the pope's funeral and subsequent conclave.
Vatican City, Apr.21 (DP.net).—Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a top Vatican official acting as the Camerlengo, announced Pope Francis's death from the Casa Santa Marta, where he resided, at 7:35 a.m. this Monday.
Francis was one of the most popular popes in decades and a towering figure on the world stage, dialoguing and seeking a fraternal approach at all times, not only with Catholics but with people and groups of all religions, beliefs, and political tendencies.
Francis was at times a controversial figure in his own church. Conservative critics charged him with bending church dogma as a concession to modern mores. Progressives, meanwhile, were disappointed that he did not go further to include LGBTQ Catholics and women in church leadership roles.
Christine Allen, director and CEO of the international charity Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, said in a statement: “Pope Francis’s greatest gift was that in an increasingly divided world, he could get people and governments to think beyond their own self-interest, and work together for the common good."
The Council for Christian Unity of the Church of England released this statement following the news of the pope’s death: “It is with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Pope Francis, a great servant of Christ and leader of the Catholic church for twelve years. Pope Francis was a man of great personal warmth and integrity, with a strong commitment to the poor and the marginalised. His commitment to synodality, the walking together of all the baptised in the way of Christ, underpinned his ecumenical vision. We have much for which to be grateful. May he rest in peace, and rise in glory.”
Regarding his qualities, Cardinal Farrell said in a statement: "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". 
The rite of the certification of death and placement in the coffin took place on Monday evening at 8:00 PM in the chapel on the ground floor of the late Pope's residence in the Casa Santa Marta. During the rite, the declaration of death was read aloud. The act was validated by Cardinal Farrell, and the ceremony lasted just under an hour. Seals were placed on the papal apartment on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace and on the apartment on the second floor of the Casa Santa Marta.
In 1957, in his early 20s, Jorge Mario Bergoglio underwent surgery in his native Argentina to remove a portion of his lung that had been affected by a severe respiratory infection. 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.
Pope Francis was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Friday, February 14, 2025, after suffering from a bout of bronchitis for several days. The Pope’s clinical situation gradually worsened, and his doctors diagnosed bilateral pneumonia on Tuesday, February 18. After 38 days in hospital, the late Pope Francis returned to his Vatican residence to continue his recovery and he participated in some Holy Week rites, including his last public appearance on Easter Sunday at St. Peter's Square, but his body gave up this morning with a stroke and heart failure.
Vatican sources revealed that the pontiff had requested to be buried in the ground in a simple, unadorned tomb. In the text of his will that was published by the Vatican, the late pope said: “The cost of preparing the burial will be covered by a sum provided by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I have given the necessary instructions regarding this to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, extraordinary commissioner of the Liberian basilica.”
President Donald Trump ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff Monday following the death of the Pope, and announced early today that he would attend the Pope's funeral with his wife, Melania. “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome,” Trump said on Truth Social.
TV Footage shows thousands of Catholics gathering in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City to pray following the death of the Pope, and many attendants were observed crying and holding rosary beads. Hundreds of nuns were also in attendance.
A Papal Conclave (a gathering of the College of Cardinals) will soon elect a new Pontiff, and the Catholic church is now entering the "Papal Interregnum". The College of Cardinals must now decide exactly when the funeral can take place (it should be between the fourth and sixth day after the Pope's death), and after that, they'll decide when the Conclave can begin, probably within the next 15-20 days, to be organized by the Camerlengo and giving time for Cardinals all over the world to travel to Vatican City, to be sequestered and forbidden from speaking to anyone outside the process to elect a new Pope, which can take several days while gathering at the Sistine Chapel.