Pope Francis has died aged 88, the Vatican has announced, hours after he greeted thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square to celebrate Easter Sunday.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican’s camerlengo, announced that Pope Francis passed away at 7:35 a.m. on Monday, noting that “his entire life was devoted to serving the Lord and the Church.”
“He showed us how to embody the values of the Gospel with steadfast faith, bravery, and a boundless love for all — especially the poor and the marginalized,” Farrell said in the statement.
“With deep gratitude for his life as a true follower of Jesus Christ, we entrust Pope Francis’s soul to the infinite mercy and love of our Triune God.”
Pope Francis, the first Latin American to lead the Catholic Church, captured global admiration through his humility and compassion for the underprivileged, though he often drew criticism from conservatives for his outspoken views on capitalism and climate change.
At 88, the Pope had been battling chronic lung issues and had part of one lung removed in his youth. On February 14, 2025, he was admitted to Gemelli Hospital following a respiratory emergency that progressed into double pneumonia. He remained hospitalized for 38 days — the longest stay of his 12-year pontificate.
Tributes poured in from around the world. French President Emmanuel Macron remembered Francis as “a humble man who stood with the most vulnerable and fragile.”
Francis had made a brief appearance to bless thousands of people in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, appearing on the loggia balcony over the basilica entrance for more than 20 minutes and imparting the apostolic blessing in Latin.
Francis treated well-wishers to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause.
“Viva il Papa!” (Long live the pope), “Bravo!” the crowd shouted as Francis looped through the square in his open-topped popemobile and then up and down the main avenue leading to it.
He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him, a scene that was common in the past but unthinkable just a few weeks ago as the 88-year-old was battling for his life in hospital.
“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” Francis said, his voice sounding stronger than it has since he was released from the hospital March 23 after a five-week stay.
