In his final heartfelt gesture of devotion, Pope Francis, who was substantially aided by his staff, wished everyone a “Happy Easter.”
On Easter Sunday, Francis, who passed away today at the age of 88, pleased the 35,000 worshippers at the Vatican by making an appearance on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica.
However, when he sat on the balcony and listened to a senior cardinal read out the Easter blessing, the pontiff, looking tired and exhausted, required assistance from his aides.
As the blessing was given, aides were observed assisting Francis drink water through a straw and arranging his papal vestments.
Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retiring archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, said Easter Mass yesterday instead of him in the piazza.
Following an illness that progressed to pneumonia in both lungs earlier this year, Francis was released from the hospital on March 23 under “protected discharge.”
Francis celebrated the highest Catholic holiday on social media just 20 hours before the Vatican announced his death.
“Christ is risen! These words capture the entire meaning of our existence, for we were not made for death but for life,” he tweeted, also sharing his full Urbi et Orbi blessing, which his aide had read aloud at at Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Francis’ final Easter sermon saw him call for an end to the “many conflicts raging in different parts of our world” and pray that “in this Jubilee year, may Easter also be a fitting occasion for the liberation of prisoners of war and political prisoners!”
In his Easter blessing, Francis directly urged “all those in positions of political responsibility” to halt “sowing seeds of death” by using “weapons of peace.”
He criticised the “great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day”, violence directed at women and children, and the “contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalised, and migrants!”
“On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas! For all of us are children of God!” The Pope stated, “I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible!”
In particular, he offered prayers for people affected by international conflicts, such as those in Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, other communities in the Middle East and Africa, and more.
After being released from the hospital just a month ago, Francis spent his last hours with the faithful, traversing the piazza in the Popemobile to tremendous cheers and ovation and coming out to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
A ‘short and intimate’ meeting between the Pope and US Vice President JD Vance had taken place earlier Sunday at the Casa Santa Marta home in Vatican City.
Following 38 days of treatment for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the Argentine pope, who has been the head of the Catholic Church since March 2013, was released from the hospital on March 23 under “protected discharge.”
However, he gave the customary blessing known as Urbi et Orbi, wished Catholics a “Happy Easter,” and called for an end to global hostilities before resolutely touring around the 35,000 believers on Sunday.
The Vatican camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, declared his death at 7.35 a.m. local time (5.35 a.m. GMT) today.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Farrell in the statement published by the Vatican.
“This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church.”
“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.”
Unlike most of his predecessors, Francis will be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in the Esquilino neighborhood of Rome after his body is placed in state in St. Peter’s Basilica for an official period of mourning.
His passing initiates centuries-old customs that would eventually lead to a conclave of cardinals convening in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to select a successor. At least 15 days will pass before the Conclave takes place.
Meanwhile, the camerlengo, a senior cardinal, Kevin Farrell, who was born in Dublin, will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the small Vatican City state.
The news of Francis’ passing “deeply saddens us, as we are saying goodbye to a great man and a great shepherd,” according to Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.
“I had the privilege of enjoying his friendship, his counsel and his teachings, which never failed me, not even in times of trial and suffering.”
“The Pope and I had a more active relationship than was apparent,” she told Italian state broadcaster RAI, in a broken voice. “It went well beyond our respective institutional roles.”
“We’ve met many times, even just to exchange opinions. He was able to give comfort in very difficult moments, I have many memories of the Pope.”
King Charles also shared a statement in tribute, saying Francis would be “remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith, and to those of goodwill who work for the benefit of others.”
“Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many,” the statement continued, adding, “The Queen and I remember with particular affection our meetings with His Holiness over the years and we were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month.”
The White House published a pithy statement on X, saying, “Rest in Peace, Pope Francis.”
JD Vance had met with the Pope just the day before to greet him on Easter. The Vice President did not come, but the Pope offered him three enormous chocolate Easter eggs for his three small children.
According to Corriere, the Pontiff did not meet with Vance on Friday, formally due to his health condition.
In a post on X, French President Emmanuel Macron, whose nation is predominantly Catholic, also expressed his sympathies.
“From Buenos Aires to Rome, Pope Francis wanted the Church to bring joy and hope to the poorest. For it to unite humans among themselves, and with nature. May this hope forever outlast him.”
In remembrance of Francis, who passed away at the age of 88, the bells at Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral rang out 88 times on Monday. According to the Notre-Dame press office, the ’88 rings for 88 years of life’ was to be followed by a complete ringing of the cathedral’s bells prior to a mass in Francis’s honor at midday, and then another in the early evening.
Israel’s mostly ceremonial president offered condolences to Christians after the death of Pope Francis, calling him a man of “deep faith and boundless compassion.”
Isaac Herzog said in a post on X that the pope had promoted interfaith understanding and developed close relationships with Jews.
“I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages will soon be answered,” he wrote, referring to the pope’s repeated calls for an end to the war and the release of captives held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Francis has frequently criticized Israel’s actions throughout the conflict and called for an investigation into claims of genocide, which Israel has vehemently rejected.
Francis has been a ‘true friend’ of the Palestinians, according to Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority.
Francis was the first Jesuit to lead the almost 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide and the first from the Americas. He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires.
In stark contrast to the German theologian, he succeeded Benedict XVI, who was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages.
The former archbishop of Buenos Aires, who loved football and was frequently the happiest of his flock, aimed to create a church that was more accepting and caring.
Francis pushed through governance reforms, addressed the problem of clergy sex abuse of children, and steadfastly championed social justice, migrant rights, and the environment.
However, he faced criticism for causing doctrinal confusion and for failing to defend traditional Catholic doctrine on crucial issues like divorce and abortion.
Francis’s choice to be buried in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica rather than St. Peter’s Basilica demonstrated his will to forge a new course until the very end.
He will be the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in over a century.
In keeping with his status as a lowly pastor, Francis also chose to be buried in a single coffin made of zinc and wood rather than the customary three that popes have.
On February 14, Francis was initially admitted to the hospital. He had to cancel engagements due to his treatment, including his weekly prayer to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square.
He was hospitalized for three days in March 2023 due to bronchitis, which led to his terminal illness.
He underwent colon surgery in 2021 after undergoing a three-hour procedure in June of that year to treat an abdominal hernia.
Due to the consequences of influenza and lung inflammation, he was also forced to postpone his November 2023 travel to Dubai for the COP28 climate meeting.
Francis had fallen twice in the past few months due to knee discomfort that made him need a wheelchair.
Following the first, he showed up for a ceremony to install 21 new Catholic cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica in December 2024, sporting a big bruise on his chin.
In January of this year, a fall injury forced the placement of a sling on his right arm.
Francis’s health was considered more precarious because pleurisy required the removal of a portion of one lung at the age of 21.
As Benedict resigned, citing his failing health, the Holy Father had left open the option to resign if he felt incapable of carrying out his duties.
However, he argued for years that the moment had not yet arrived and kept a hectic schedule, even hosting the Slovakian prime minister just before he was admitted to the hospital.
Before traveling to the Gemelli hospital in Rome, Francis, who had had a portion of his lung removed when he was a young man, was clearly out of breath and assigned assistants to read his homilies in front of crowds.
Following his hospital discharge and instructions to take it easy for two months, Francis quickly made public appearances.
The Catholic Church was enmeshed in internal strife and plagued by a worldwide scandal involving decades of cover-ups and clergy sex abuse of children when Francis assumed the papacy.
Although victims said he should have done more, he pledged to abolish impunity and amended Vatican legislation to combat abuse.
In a broader sense, he started a significant overhaul of the Vatican’s influential leadership, which included enhancing fiscal accountability and enabling lay Catholics to hold office.
Francis prioritized compassion over dogma and stood out for the weak and impoverished during his pontificate.
“If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?” he said at the start of his papacy.
He was criticized for not adhering to established Church doctrine, nevertheless, and senior cardinals became more vocal in their criticism of him during his final months.
The Synod conference, which took place at the Vatican at the end of 2023 as part of a multi-year global consultation on the church’s future, was marred by tensions with conservative Catholics. Francis now leaves the consultation incomplete.
UPDATE:
According to Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli, Pope Francis died from a stroke and irreversible heart failure.
The death certificate, published by the Vatican, confirmed that he had fallen into a coma before passing away early that morning.
In a final touching request, the pope had expressed his wish to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome—a place he visited often during his papacy.
The world mourns the loss of a spiritual leader whose final moments were filled with dignity, humility, and love for humanity. His memory will live on in the hearts of millions.
