KUALA LUMPUR — Pope Francis died this morning, the Vatican has announced.
“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, announced on the Vatican’s TV channel, Reuters reports.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church.”
The first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church was 88, and had recently undergone prolonged hospitalisation for pneumonia.
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalised,” Ferrell said in the announcement.
“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 God.”
Pope Francis made his last and major public appearance since he was hospitalised in March at St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, waving to tens of thousands of worshippers after weeks of recovery.
He then held a brief meeting with US Vice-President JD Vance that only lasted minutes during which both exchanged Easter greetings and gifts, according to news agencies.
The Vatican’s official meeting with Vance the day before was assigned to its second-highest official, its secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states, Paul Richard Gallagher.
In February, Pope Francis lambasted the US administration in a letter to American Catholic bishops in which he condemned President Donald Trump’s treatment of migrants. In response, Tom Homan, the White House’s Executive Associate Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, told the pope to “stick to religion”.
Born in Argentina in 1936, his birth name Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis, who chose his papal name in honour of St Francis of Assisi, became pope in 2013.
Humility, inclusivity and justice for the poor were his emphases throughout his tenure as he sought to make the Catholic Church more welcoming of marginalised individuals, including LGBTQ persons, amid resistance from conservatives.
Dubbed “the People’s Pope”, one of Pope Francis’ earliest acts that stood out was the washing of the feet of refugees of different faiths at an asylum centre outside Rome in 2016.
He also urged condemned excessive capitalism and consumerism, and highlighted climate change as one of his key concerns, while also turning the spotlight on global peace, religious freedom, and called for ceasefires in conflict zones like Gaza and Ukraine.
The Pope also condemned rising antisemitism and expressed solidarity with both Israelis and Palestinians.
Concerns over Pope Francis’ health grew in recent years amid several hospital visits, including for colon-related and mobility issues.
In February, he was admitted for bronchitis, which was later revealed to be pneumonia, with the Vatican announcing him to be in a “prolonged respiratory crisis”.
After five weeks battling life-threatening pneumonia, he was released from hospital on March 23.
There are an estimated 1.4 billion Catholics in the world, who are expected to mourn his passing.
Prior to his death, Pope Francis had already requested scaled-down funeral rites, include a simpler coffin, and stated his desire to be buried in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome, instead of the traditional site for popes under St Peter’s Basilica.
A the election of a new pope will only take place up to 20 days later after his passing. – April 21, 2025