Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday, April 21, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, the office of the Holy See has said.
Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said: “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home 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 faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalized. 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 God, One and Tribune.″
The Pope had been unwell for a number of months and was recovering from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia.
His passing death came less than 24 hours after he met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance to exchange Easter greetings. The Pope and the U.S. administration had previously clashed over the Trump administration’s migrant deportation plans.
According to the AP, Pope Francis received Vance in one of the reception rooms of the Vatican hotel where he lives. The Pope offered the Catholic VP three chocolate Easter eggs for Vance’s children as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries.
Yesterday’s Easter Mass was celebrated in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square but it was delegated to another cardinal by the Pope.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958 after recovering from severe illness. He was ordained in 1969 and became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and became a cardinal in 2001. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis Of Assisi.
During his papal tenure, Pope Francis became known for his less formal approach to the position, often showing inclusion for the LGBTQ community, in addition to denouncing capitalism, climate change and the death penalty.
He met with a number of film and TV luminaries in recent years including Martin Scorsese, Sylvester Stallone, Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert. He was the subject of multiple documentaries and the Vatican screened notable film and TV works, including 2023 immigration drama Io Capitano. More generally, the papacy remains a rich source of inspiration for filmmakers, with Oscar winner Conclave the most recent example.
