Pope Francis died after health: the pontiff in history was 88

• Pope Francis died on Monday April 21 at the age of 88
• The Vatican News said that the Pope died at his residence in Casa Santa Marta of the Vatican
• Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis entered history as the first pope of the Americas, the first Jesuit pope and the first pope since the 8th century not to be Europe

Pope FrancisThe head of the Catholic Church and the chief of the 1.3 billion Catholics of the world – known as his humility in the role that for the way he could push against teaching and the tradition of the Vatican – has died. He was 88 years old.

Francis had fought against a certain number of health problems over the years and died early on Monday April 21, just one month after being Hospital unloadedwhere he was treated for double pneumonia, after a 38 -day stay.

The Vatican announced his death in a statement: “Pope Francis died on Monday April 21, 2025 from Easter, at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta of the Vatican.”

His death came one day after meeting the vice-president, Jd vanceAnd delivering his annual address for Easter by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, who led mass to Saint-Pierre on Sunday.

In a statement Released by the Vatican, Cardinal Kevin Farrell said that Francis died at 7:35 a.m. local time on Easter Monday.

“All his life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his Church,” said Farrell.

“He taught us to live the values ​​of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, in particular in favor of the poorest and most marginalized,” continued Farrell.

“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we congratulate the soul of Pope Francis in the infinite merciful love of the one and the Trinitarian God.”

On February 14, the Vatican confirmed that the pontiff had been hospitalized at the Polyclinic Hospital of Agostino Gemelli in Rome. Initially treated for bronchitis, Francis developed a double pneumonia and his condition worsened in the following two weeks, although there were several days when the Vatican reported slight improvements.

A audio recording From the Pope thanking people for their prayers was released on March 6. Although the Vatican did not offer a lot of details, they said he had been recorded from the hospital.

“Thank you with all my heart for the prayers you offer for my health on the square (Saint-Pierre). I accompany you by here,” he said in a message recorded in Spanish, the mother tongue of Francis. “May God bless you and the Virgin protects you. Thank you.”

Although still hospitalized at the time, Thursday, March 13, marked an important step for François: the 12th anniversary of its papacy. To celebrate, this afternoon, a cake with candles was brought to his room, according to the Vatican.

Francis, who had been part of one of his lungs removed when he was younger, sought Bronchitis treatment Several times throughout his life.

The late pontiff has experienced other health problems in the past, especially undergoing colon surgery in June 2021 – and he already talked Almost die of the flu At 21, according to his book Let’s say: the path to a better futurein which he also wrote on Navigate in the cocovide-19 pandemic.

“When I became really sick at the age of 21, I had my first limit experience, pain and loneliness. It changed my way of seeing life,” he wrote. “For months, I did not know who I was, and if I would live or die. Doctors did not know if I would either.”

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis made history during his appointment in 2013 to La Papacy as the first pope of the Americas, the first Jesuit pope and the first pope since the 8th century not to be Europe.

Unlike many of his predecessors, he chose not to live in the papal apartments of the apostolic palace but rather in the guest house of Domus Sancntae Marthae, because it allowed him to “live in community with others”, according to the New Catholics Service.

“The very decision to live differently rather than in the traditional place immediately got rid of all () intermediaries,” said the biographer Austen Ivereigh. “People were really furious at first. They really wanted it, really.”

Ivereigh says that according to Francis, there was another group of people who were not satisfied with him in Rome at the time: office tailors. “His new atmosphere of simplicity has made it aware of it, so suddenly, all the members of the clergy have ceased to wear the most elaborate and other necklaces. I think that a cardinal was even heard that” simplicity is the new chic “”, explains Ivereigh.

In fact, Ivereigh says that “for a few weeks after being named Pope,” Francis continued “to wear his usual dark pants under his white strain”.

“And they said to him,” You should really wear white pants. “And he said,” Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not a ice cream seller “,” adds the author.

Throughout his life, Francis sailed in the papacy with a particular accent on humility and helps the poor; He has often repeated the sentence: “My people are poor and I am one of them”, according to his Vatican biography.

Francis was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, Italian immigrant parents Mario, accountant, and Regina Sivori, a housewife who took care of the five children of the family.

He held a variety of jobs – Including concierge and nightclub stuck – before obtaining his diploma as a chemical technician and deciding to become a priest, according to Los Angeles Times.

He studied in Chile and Argentina and then obtained a diploma in theology of Colegio de San José de San Miguel after having briefly taught literature and psychology to the Immaculate College Conception in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Colegio del Salvatore in Buenos Aires.

After being ordered a priest in 1969, he spent the next decades in various positions before becoming Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998.

Pope John Paul II made him a cardinal in 2001 and “he asked the faithful not to come to Rome to celebrate his creation as a cardinal but rather to make a donation to the poor what they would have spent on the trip”, according to his biography.

He was elected Pope in March 2013 following the surprise resignation of Pope Benoît XVI a month earlier.

Ivereigh, his biographer, says that Francis had a “phenomenal work ethics”, although it is bad to classify it as a “work executioner”.

“It is true for him for decades. People who have worked with him say that he has not taken a vacation since the 1970s,” said Ivereigh.

On a typical day, Francis got up at 4 in the morning “and spent two hours in prayer, in silent meditation”.

“Then he would have the morning mass at seven o’clock, then breakfast. In the morning, most of the time, he would have all his official meetings, it could be official meetings with the heads of state and so on,” said Ivereigh, noting that Francis generally kept the afternoon for even more meetings.

Francis was known for having expressed views that sometimes clashed with those of the Catholic Church, as when, in a documentary in 2020, he said support for same -sex civil unions.

“What we have to create is a law on civil union. In this way, they are legally covered,” he said in the documentary Francescoaccording to the New York Times And Washington Post. “I defended myself for that … they are children of God and are entitled to a family. Nobody should be thrown or be put miserable because of this.”

However, his mandate was not without controversy. In recent years of its papacy, he has been accused several times of Use of a homophobic insultWhat at one point caused apology from the Vatican.

“As he had the opportunity to say several times:” There is room for everyone, for everyone in the church! No one is useless, no one is superfluous, there is room for everyone. Just as we are all of us. ” Matteo Bruni spokesperson said to people in May 2024. “The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he apologizes to those who felt offended by the use of a term, reported by others.”

His treatment of the multiple sexual abuse scandals that afflicted the Catholic Church was also widely discussed, especially in 2016 when he said that there was “not a single proof” that Juan Barros, a bishop, had covered the abuses of Father Fernando Karadima, a Chilean priest.

Francis apologized later while standing by barros – saying he believed that he was “innocent” – and recognized that his support barros had to appear as a “slap opposite” of the victims of Karadima, the Washington Post reported.

In 2020, Francis swore to rid the Catholic church of sexual abuse. “I renew my proximity to the victims of any abuse and the commitment of the Church to eradicate this evil,” he said.

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Addressing the style of Francis leadership, his biographer says that he generally made “a long time” to make important decisions, but that his mind was decided “he is like a bulldozer”.

“It is a strange mixture – he has a huge authority, and when you are with him, you feel his authority. But it is a graceful authority,” explains Ivereigh. “It always makes you feel … It is not the kind of authority that decreases you. It creates space for you and makes you feel seen and recognized. Many people say that about it. It is a fairly remarkable feature.”