VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis returned to the house of the Father. Precisely on Easter Monday, when Christians celebrate the news of the Resurrection of Jesus and, with it, the hope of eternal life. And precisely after a series of public appearances – which had followed the long hospitalization of the Pope at the Policlinico Gemelli in Rome for bilateral pneumonia – they had given rise to hope. Jorge Bergoglio died at 7:35 this morning, at the age of 88, probably from a stroke.
At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of the Pontiff (in the video below) from the Casa Santa Marta with these words: “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 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 the One and Triune God“.
The Pope was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on Friday, February 14, 2025, after suffering from a bout of bronchitis for several days. Pope Francis’ clinical situation gradually worsened, and his doctors diagnosed bilateral pneumonia on Tuesday, February 18. After 38 days in hospital, the late Pope returned to his Vatican residence at the Casa Santa Marta to continue his recovery. Then some public appearances had given hope to the faithful – hope shattered by the news this morning: Jorge Bergoglio (the surname suggests his Italian-Argentine origine) passed away.
The late Pope Francis had requested that the funeral rites be simplified and focused on expressing the faith of the Church in the Risen Body of Christ. “The renewed rite” said Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, to Vatican News, “seeks to emphasise even more that the funeral of the Roman Pontiff is that of a pastor and disciple of Christ and not of a powerful person of this world…”.
