Pope Francis died on Monday morning, the Vatican said, ending a 12-year pontificate that shook up the Catholic Church while challenging traditional teachings on topics from divorce to homosexuality, and triggering a succession process that will likely center on whether to continue his progressive legacy.

The 88-year-old pope’s death came after he spent weeks in the hospital earlier this year to treat a serious bout of pneumonia. His health remained fragile after he returned to his residence in the Vatican.

Francis died at 7:35 a.m. on Monday local time, the Vatican’s camerlengo, or chamberlain, Cardinal Kevin Farrell said.

“With deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” said Cardinal Farrell, an American citizen who will now run the Vatican until a new pope has been elected. “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized.”

Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, when he blessed a crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square and was then driven around the square in his open-top popemobile. He also met briefly with Vice President JD Vance on Sunday.

The pope’s passing will lead, after a period of mourning, to a conclave or gathering of cardinals at the Vatican to elect a new leader for the global Catholic Church and its estimated 1.4 billion faithful.

Francis returned to the Vatican in late March after spending several weeks at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he was treated for a severe and complex lung infection. His doctors said he nearly died in the hospital on more than one occasion. He remained visibly frail after leaving the hospital, making only a few public appearances.

The first reactions from world leaders noted the pope’s advocacy for the poor, social justice, environmental protection and an end to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere.

“He asked the world…for the courage to change direction, to follow a path that ‘does not destroy, but cultivates, repairs, protects,’” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said. “We will walk in this direction, to seek the path of peace, pursue the common good and build a more just and equitable society. His teaching and his legacy will not be lost,” she said.

“A man of deep faith and boundless compassion, he dedicated his life to uplifting the poor and calling for peace in a troubled world,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said of Francis on X. “I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages will soon be answered,” Herzog said, referring to the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza.

“My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” Vance said on X. “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.”

Vance said he would always remember the pope for a “really quite beautiful” homily he gave in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, in which Francis comforted the faithful at a time of fear and uncertainty.

In his Easter message, read by an aide to the crowd gathered in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis once again spoke in defense of migrants—a subject on which the pope publicly clashed with Vance and the Trump administration earlier this year.

“How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants,” the pope’s final public address said. “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 Argentine-born pope had suffered repeatedly from lung infections in recent years, as well as other health problems that forced him to use a wheelchair, but he insisted on upholding an intense schedule of audiences, Masses and trips around the world.

He continued to attend outdoor events in cold and wet weather early this year, despite the onset of bronchitis, which turned into pneumonia. He was sometimes unable to read out his sermons and homilies, and aides had to complete his addresses for him.

After his admission to the hospital on Feb. 14, his condition went through ups and downs, and his doctors warned that his advanced age and the combination of chronic conditions with acute infections put him in grave danger. Yet he recovered sufficiently to leave the hospital on March 23.

Cardinals from around the world will soon be invited to gather at the Vatican. Before they cast their ballots at the conclave, one of the world’s most secretive elections, they will assemble to debate the direction and priorities of the church under the next pope. During that process, support normally coalesces around a few leading candidates.

By: DocMemory
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