Pope Francis died Monday at age 88. History’s first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.
The Vatican said the cause of death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure. 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.
“I hope that whoever comes after him can be as competent, as affectionate and as loving,” said Mary Soul, a Christian resident of Aleppo, Syria.
‘Blessed to be part of his time as pope’: Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich mourns Pope Francis’ death
