Pope Francis has passed away at the age of 88, the Vatican has confirmed.
The Holy Father at the head of the Roman Catholic Church, whose real name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected to be Pope in March 2013.
Now, the Vatican has confirmed the 88-year-old has died in a video statement on Monday (April 21).
The statement read: “Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.”
Since February this year, Pope Francis’ health had been in jeopardy as he was rushed to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital indicating he had suffered a respiratory infection, chronic bronchitis, which developed into pneumonia in both lungs, and a mild kidney failure.
Last month, he had experienced an ‘isolated attack of bronchospasm which caused an episode of vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening of his respiratory condition.’
The Vatican posted updates about the Pope’s ongoing health concerns since his hospitalization, revealing that while he ‘slept’ well and was in ‘good humour’, his condition remained ‘critical.’
They warned that while he ‘cooperated with the therapeutic measures,’ his prognosis remained ‘uncertain’.
On Sunday (February 23), the Pope asked Catholics to pray for him after he was unable to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer for the second week in a row.
Now, the tragic news emerging out of the Vatican is that the beloved pontiff has passed away.
Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell said on Monday: “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.
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalised.
“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, One and Tribune.″
The religious leader was deemed particularly susceptible to lung infections after he contracted pleurisy, an inflammation of the lungs, when he was a young man, and had part of his lung removed.
Over the course of his 12-year tenure, he was treated in the same hospital several times for health scares including bronchitis in March 2023.
But aside from his health battles, throughout his leadership, Pope Francis established many ‘firsts’. He was the first Pope to come from from the Society of Jesus, where priests and brothers dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ, as well as the first to Latin American, being born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He was also the first Pope to have been born or raised outside of Europe since the Syrian Pope Gregory III, some 1,200 years ago.
The Argentinian cardinal, who chose his papal name in honor of Sant Francis of Assisi, was also praised for his progressive attitudes and humility, often delicately balancing conservative rules of the church and liberal attitudes.
For instance, he was often heard contemplating the war in Ukraine and made comments about the refugee crisis, the climate emergency, global injustice, and even LGBTQ+ rights.
Throughout 2023, Pope Francis slammed laws criminalizing homosexuality as a sin and approved blessings for same-sex civil unions, famously telling journalists: “Who am I to judge?” when prompted with the question.
He also pushed for other reforms within the church in his life, which included giving more roles to women in high-ranking Vatican positions all while breaking the formalities of his predecessors by choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a church guest house, rather than the grand Apostolic Palace.