VATICAN, April 21: Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, officially announced the death of Pope Francis:
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. 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. 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 the One and Triune God.”
The Pope had been admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Friday, February 14, 2025, after suffering from bronchitis for several days. His clinical condition gradually deteriorated, and on Tuesday, February 18, doctors diagnosed him with bilateral pneumonia.
After spending 38 days in the hospital, Pope Francis returned to Casa Santa Marta to continue his recovery at home.
In his early twenties, in 1957, Jorge Mario Bergoglio underwent surgery in Argentina to remove a portion of his lung due to a severe respiratory infection. In his later years, he often experienced recurring respiratory illnesses. He had cancelled a planned visit to the United Arab Emirates in November 2023 because of influenza and lung inflammation.
In April 2024, Pope Francis approved a revised edition of the liturgical book for papal funeral rites, which will now be used for his own funeral Mass, the date of which has yet to be announced. The second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis includes several new elements regarding how the Pope’s remains are to be handled after death. According to the updated rites, the ascertainment of death takes place in a chapel instead of the room where the Pope passed away, and his body is immediately placed inside the coffin.
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, stated that Pope Francis had requested simplified funeral rites that emphasize the Church’s faith in the Risen Body of Christ.
“The renewed rite,” said Archbishop Ravelli, “seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world.”
