Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He was 88.
The Vatican has since revealed that the cause of Francis’ death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure.
“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,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said Monday from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived.
Francis had chronic lung disease, and he was admitted to a hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.
He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter’s Square. No date for the funeral has been announced. The next pope is still to be decided.
The Vatican also said the pope had decreed that he will be buried in St. Mary Major Basilica in a simple underground tomb. The basilica is home to Francis’ favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.
Francis was introduced on March 13, 2013, as the 266th pope.
