Pope Francis died on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican says.
The Pope, who was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died at 07:35 local time on Easter Monday.
World leaders continue paying tribute to his “contagious smile” and “boundless compassion”, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling him a “man of humility”
His death comes a day after he appeared in St Peter’s Square to wish “Happy Easter” to thousands of worshippers who flocked to see the Pope, with some parents taking their children for Pope’s blessings despite the pope being frail he blessed them.
He was recently discharged from hospital last month after five weeks of treatment for an infection. According to his doctors and as reported by the Vatican news, Pope Francis suffered double Pneumonia.
Francis’s death sets in motion the centuries-old process of electing a new Pope
“What a life of sacrifice, no wife, no biological child, and no worldly pleasure. He gave up everything many chase after, not because he couldn’t have them, but because he chose a higher calling. He denied himself of the world to secure the moral authority to correct the world. He became a father to millions, a shepherd to the lost, a voice for the voiceless, and a living symbol of hope, mercy, and humility. Through seasons of global storms, he stood firm, sometimes frail in body, yet ever strong in spirit,” said Father Mazi Uche from France.
He carried on, “What a life of sacrifice. I admire Catholicism, a faith that births men who carry such weight with grace and simplicity. A faith that demands much, and yet gives more. Rest in peace, beloved Pope. You have the respect of the world and now, the reward of heaven,” said Father Mazi Uche from France.
