Pope Francis passes away at age of 88

The Vatican press service confirmed the news.

"The sad news came from Casa Santa Marta. Pope Francis has returned to the home of the Heavenly Father," the message said.

According to Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Pope died at 07:35 on April 21.

"His whole life was devoted to serving the Lord and the Church. He taught us to live the Gospel with courage, faithfulness, and unconditional love — especially toward the poorest and most forgotten. With deep gratitude for his example as a true follower of Jesus, we entrust the soul of Pope Francis to the merciful love of the Triune God," the cardinal said.

Background

On February 14, Pope Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in Rome with bronchitis after struggling to speak during a morning meeting. He was expected to miss several public events over the following three days.

On February 21, his condition worsened sharply. He stopped breathing several times throughout the day. He was put on oxygen and received blood transfusions after being diagnosed with thrombocytopenia. Later, it was reported that his condition continued to decline. The symptoms of thrombocytopenia didn’t improve, and doctors also diagnosed him with kidney failure.

On March 1, it was confirmed that Pope Francis had suffered a bronchospasm and needed non-invasive lung ventilation.

Later, reports said his condition had stabilized. But the next day, he suffered two episodes of acute respiratory failure.

On March 23, Pope Francis was discharged. That same day, he addressed the public for the first time since his hospitalization — speaking from the hospital window.

Sergio Alfieri, a doctor at Gemelli Hospital, said the Pope was once so close to death during a 38-day battle with pneumonia that doctors considered stopping treatment to let him pass in peace.

But on April 20, Easter Mass began at the Vatican without Pope Francis.