Pope Francis has passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
His passing occurred at his residence in Casa Santa Marta, just one day after Easter celebrations. The news stunned Catholics and non-Catholics alike, marking the end of a papacy defined by humility, reform, and compassion.
Vatican News shared an image in memoriam, featuring a serene portrait of the late Pope with the inscription, “Pope Francis, 1936–2025.”
The caption simply 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.”
The late Pope’s health had been a source of growing concern in recent months. Just two weeks earlier, he had made a surprise appearance in St. Peter’s Square, his first since being hospitalized.
He will be buried at Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major) in Rome, Italy—a site dear to him because of his devotion to Mary, Mother of God, according to Vatican Media.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Francis broke centuries of tradition the moment he stepped out onto the Vatican balcony in 2013. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first non-European pope in over 1,000 years, and the first to take the name “Francis,” inspired by the saint known for radical humility and care for the poor.
Throughout his papacy, Francis led with simplicity, ditching the red shoes and palatial apartments in favor of modest dress and the Vatican guesthouse. But beneath the quiet exterior was a leader intent on shaking up the status quo.
He made some bold moves: opening conversations on LGBTQ+ inclusion, calling for the Church to welcome divorced and remarried Catholics, acknowledging the sins of colonization, and launching an unprecedented move to decentralize Church authority.
He met with migrants, washed the feet of prisoners, and called out greed, hypocrisy, and corruption within the Church’s own walls.
Pope Francis may not have changed everything but he opened doors. His passing concludes a papacy that sought to balance tradition with a call for a more inclusive and compassionate community.
Source: news.amomama.com; GMA News; We the Pvblic /FB