Vatican City, April 21, 2025 — The world is reeling in grief as Pope Francis, the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church and a beloved global moral authority, passed away at the age of 88 on Easter Monday. His death was confirmed by the Vatican at 7:35 a.m., following complications from a prolonged battle with double pneumonia that led to a 38-day hospital stay—the longest of his papacy.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis was elected in March 2013, becoming the first Latin American pontiff, the first Jesuit Pope, and the first non-European leader of the Catholic Church in over 1,200 years. His rise marked a new era of humility, compassion, and reform within a 2,000-year-old institution often seen as rigid and archaic.
A champion of the marginalized, Francis redefined the Church’s global voice with bold stances on poverty, climate change, immigration, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. He washed the feet of prisoners, dined with the homeless, and urged world leaders to place humanity above profit. He also launched the Synod on Synodality, seeking to make the Church more participatory and less hierarchical.
Despite facing health challenges, including sciatica, intestinal surgery, and lung complications dating back to his youth, Pope Francis remained visibly active in his final weeks. On Easter Sunday, he appeared at the Vatican balcony to deliver his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, though he was too frail to celebrate the Mass himself.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo tasked with overseeing the Church during this period of transition, announced the Pope’s death with deep sorrow, stating: “Pope Francis was a shepherd to the world. In life and death, he showed us the path of mercy, humility, and love.”
Tributes have begun pouring in from world leaders, religious figures, and millions of faithful. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called him “a spiritual anchor in a fractured world,” while U.S. President Joe Biden said Pope Francis “embodied the heart of Christ on earth.”
Pope Francis’ death now triggers the traditional “Sede Vacante” period, during which the College of Cardinals will convene a conclave in the Sistine Chapel to elect his successor.
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His legacy—anchored in the radical simplicity of the Gospel—will endure far beyond the walls of the Vatican. In the words he often used to close his addresses: “Pray for me.”
