Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 after suffering from double pneumonia on Monday, the Vatican announced in a video statement.
Francis, who was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, did not attend the annual Good Friday procession for the third consecutive year in a row. On Sunday morning, the Pope made a brief appearance at a private meeting with the US's vice president, JD Vance.?
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, one of the most prominent figures in the Catholic Church, announced the news on the Vatican's TV channel. In the video, he said, "Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness 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, he added.
On February 14 2025, Francis underwent major surgery, having had part of one lung removed due to a chronic lung disease that he had lived with since he was young. During the surgery, he was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital for a respiratory disease that developed into double pneumonia. He spent about 38 days in the hospital, which is the longest duration of a pope's hospitalisation in his 12-year papacy.
Later, the Vatican confirmed a diagnosis of bilateral pneumonia and revealed that he had undergone a blood transfusion due to low platelets, a condition that is linked to anaemia.
Coincidentally, Pope Francis had a brief private meeting with the US President JD Vance, who is currently on an India tour and arrived on Monday morning.
The meeting of the duo came ahead of Pope's appearance for Easter on Sunday, when Francis called for freedom of thought and tolerance in his Easter address.?
As soon as the news broke on the internet, JD Vance shared a heart-touching post for Pope on his X, "I just learnt of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him. I?was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I¡¯ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful.?May God rest his soul."