Vatican City (AP) – Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88. This is an important thing to know about the death of the Argentine Pope, the first history of history from Latin America, which has over 12 years of presidency in the Catholic Church.
The timing of Pope Francis’ death
Francis’ death was announced by Irish-born Vatican Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
Farrell made the announcement at 9:47am, just two hours after Francis passed away. Farrell spoke from Domus Santa Marta, the Vatican apartment that Francis lives in and returned to recover less than a month after hospitalising for dual pneumonia.
“This morning at 7:35, the Bishop of Rome of Francis returned to his father’s house,” Farrell said. “His life was dedicated to the Lord and his church service.”
Easter Sunday’s final farewell
Francis made his final showdown one day before Easter Sunday, but delegated the Easter Mass celebration to another cardinal.
He blessed the faithful crowd from the loggia of St. Peter’s Cathedral. “Brothers and Sisters, Happy Easter,” he said from the same loggia where Jorge Mario Bergolio was introduced to the world on March 13, 2013 as the 266 Pope.
Francis also took a surprise ride in the square of his Popemovie, eliciting wild cheers and applause.
Beforehand, he met with US Vice President JD Vance for a brief time.
“He was obviously very ill, but I was happy to see him,” Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, said on a visit to India on Monday.
Reactions and global mourning
Even before the Great Bell in St. Peter’s Cathedral began to flow from all over the world to mark the death of Francis.
Catholic and non-Catholic leaders were the voices of marginalised and vulnerable people for immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, and praised spiritual leaders who expressed concern for nature.
He said, “I cared about the big challenges of our time: migration, climate change, inequality, peace and more.
Retiring German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz said the world has lost “the defenders of the weak, the reconciliation and the heartfelt.”
Other religious leaders also praised him for asking for dialogue. The head of the Church of England remembered him for his commitment to improving relations between world religions, but the Roman rabbis explained that Francis’ Pope was an important new chapter in the relationship between Judaism and Catholicism.
The Pope’s final months and last day
Francis suffered from chronic lung disease and removed a portion of one of his lungs as a young man, was admitted to Gemeri Hospital in Rome on February 14, 2025, and was recognized due to a respiratory crisis that led to double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, his Pope’s longest hospitalization.
For the faithful, they were weeks of terror that his illness could be fatal or lead to the resignation of another pope after Pope Benedict XVI.
Returning to the Vatican on March 23rd brought relief to many at the time.
Mourning, Funerals and Conclaves
Francis’ death is causing a process of allowing them to first pay their final respects for Vatican officials at the Santa Marta Chapel, and for the general public.
The series of events include confirmation of death at the clergy’s house, the relocation of ffin to St. Peter’s Cathedral for public viewing, and funeral masses and burials.
The date has not been announced yet, but burial must take place between the fourth and sixth days after his death.
After the funeral there will be nine days of official mourning known as “Novendiali”.
During this period, the Cardinals arrive in Rome and join the Conclave to elect the next Pope.
To give everyone time to assemble, the conclave must start 15-20 days after the “Sede Vacante” is declared, but if the Cardinals agree, they can start early.
The Cardinals vote in secret sessions, and after each voting session, the votes are burned on a special stove. Black smoke indicates that the Pope is not elected, while white smoke indicates that the Cardinals chose the next head of the Catholic Church.
