Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88, the Vatican announced, just one day after making a public appearance for Easter celebrations.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, said in a statement.
Francis died at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta following a weeks-long battle with respiratory illness that had previously hospitalized him for 38 days.
The pope had been admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis, which later developed into bilateral pneumonia.
Despite his fragile health, Francis appeared in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, blessing the crowd from the basilica’s balcony and touring the square in his popemobile. Though he delegated the Mass to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, his 50-minute public appearance had suggested to many that his health was improving.
Francis had a history of respiratory problems dating back to his youth in Argentina, where he had part of a lung removed following a severe infection in 1957.
The Vatican has not yet announced funeral arrangements. Last year, Francis approved changes to papal funeral protocols, requesting simplified rites that would emphasise his role as a “pastor and disciple of Christ rather than a powerful person of this world,” according to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Vatican’s Master of Ceremonies.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Francis became pope in 2013 following the resignation of Benedict XVI. He was the first pope from the Americas and the first from the Southern Hemisphere.
During his 12-year papacy, Francis focused on issues including environmental protection, economic inequality, and outreach to marginalised communities.
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