Pope Francis, the 266th Bishop of Rome and the first pope from the Global South, has passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. The Argentine pontiff died peacefully at 7:35 AM in his Vatican residence at Casa Santa Marta, surrounded by aides and prayers.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, broke the solemn news just two hours later, saying:
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.
At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalised. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”
The late Pope had been battling respiratory illness for several weeks. He was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on February 14, after suffering bronchitis that developed into bilateral pneumonia. Following a 38-day hospital stay, he returned to Casa Santa Marta to continue treatment and rest, but his condition deteriorated.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936, the young seminarian underwent surgery in 1957 to remove part of a lung damaged by infection, a condition that would cast a long shadow over his later years. Yet, it never slowed his resolve. Even in frailty, Pope Francis remained a global spiritual force, often referred to as “the people’s pope” for his humility, accessibility, and outspoken compassion for the poor and marginalised.
His papacy, which began in March 2013, was one of striking contrasts, reverent to tradition yet revolutionary in spirit. He redefined the role of the Church in the modern world, championing the environment with the encyclical “Laudato Si’”, opening the doors of pastoral care to divorced and remarried Catholics, and initiating the most significant reform of the Roman Curia in decades with “Praedicate Evangelium”, aiming for a more missionary and decentralised Church.
Francis’ reforms didn’t stop at governance. He prioritised the voices of women, appointing them to senior Vatican positions previously closed to them. He restructured financial oversight in the Holy See and pushed for greater transparency amid years of scandal. He made bold overtures toward interfaith dialogue and migration justice, visiting conflict zones and refugee camps with his signature pastoral tenderness.
Even his funeral, yet to be formally scheduled, bears his reformist imprint. In 2024, Pope Francis approved a revised edition of the “Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis”, simplifying the funeral rites for pontiffs and emphasizing the pastoral over the political. His mortal remains will be moved immediately to the coffin from the chapel, not the room of death, symbolising the quiet dignity he championed.
According to Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, the Pope’s desire was clear: “The renewed rite seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ, not of a powerful person of this world.”
Francis’ legacy is one of courageous love and restless conscience. He challenged the Church to look outward, speak plainly, and live simply. His was a pontificate defined not by power but by presence, a voice of mercy in an often merciless world.
As the Church prepares to lay him to rest, millions around the world are already mourning the passing of a man who called for a “Church of the poor for the poor”, and, by many accounts, lived as such until the end.
