Pope Francis passes away at 88 on Easter Monday
Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. Jorge Mario Bergoglio served as the head of the Catholic Church from 13 March 2013. The Argentine Jesuit experienced declining health towards the end of his papacy. His last serious health challenges emerged in early February 2025.
"Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta," reported the official Vatican News service.
The Pope passed away on Monday at 8:35 AM, Cardinal Farrell announced in a statement released by the Vatican press office.
Pope Francis remained close to his followers until the end. On Maundy Thursday, he continued the tradition by visiting a prison, and he remained engaged with the faithful on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.
Pope Francis dies at the age of 88
On 14 February 2025, he was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic with symptoms of severe bronchitis. Within nearly five days, he was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.
Due to upper respiratory tract infections, which had become more frequent in recent years, the Pope also visited Gemelli in March 2023. It was there, two years earlier in July 2021, that he underwent bowel surgery.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio began his papal service on 13 March 2013. At that time, it was anticipated that the then 76-year-old Argentine Jesuit might be a compromise choice and, considering his age, a "transitional" pope. He chose the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the poor and destitute.
From Buenos Aires to the Vatican
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in 1936 in a modest district of Buenos Aires to a family of Italian immigrants who had moved to Argentina to escape Benito Mussolini's fascist regime. Educated as a chemist, he joined the Jesuit order at the age of 22. He had five siblings.
Bergoglio studied in Chile, Argentina, and the USA, focusing on philosophy, literature, and psychology. He was ordained as a priest on 13 December 1969. From 1964 to 1965, he taught literature and psychology. Between 1967 and 1970, he studied theology at the Faculty of Theology at Colegio Máximo San José in San Miguel. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992. Five years later, he became the archbishop of its diocese. In 2001, Pope John Paul II elevated him to Cardinal, giving him the title of Cardinal-Priest of San Roberto Bellarmino.
Close to the Holy See
In 2005, Bergoglio was considered one of the favourites to ascend the Holy See. However, the conclave then chose Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) as Pope. Benedict later resigned on 11 February 2013 due to declining health and a lack of strength.
On 13 March 2013, during the second day of the conclave, in the fifth ballot, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope.
Pope Francis rapidly introduced changes to the papal institution. He chose not to reside in the traditional Apostolic Palace, opting instead for the Domus Sanctae Marthae. He was multilingual, speaking Spanish, Italian, German, French, Piedmontese, and English, and had some understanding of Portuguese.
Did Pope Francis bring about a breakthrough?
Francis was the first pope not to adopt the name of any predecessor. He issued three encyclicals. "Laudato Si'," later dubbed the "green encyclical," was the first to highlight the importance of caring for the planet and its climate. The encyclical "Fratelli Tutti" centred on fraternity and social friendship. The first, "Lumen Fidei," focused on faith. Pope Francis also issued several exhortations and numerous documents, including apostolic letters and motu proprio.
Upon his initiative, the Council of Cardinals was established. It was the inaugural body of its kind in the Vatican, and, like the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, it aimed to address the scandals of paedophilia within the Church.
As head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was in a unique position for years. His retired predecessor, Benedict XVI, lived nearby until his death on 31 December 2022, residing in a former monastery within the Vatican. Their meetings, including the first one shortly after his election at Castel Gandolfo, became part of Church history.
