Pope Francis Dies at 88
Yinka Olatunbosun
Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State has died at 88. According to the Vatican, Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
He was the first pope from the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), the first from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III. He was one of the oldest popes in history.
Regarded as the voice of the poor and a revolutionary in reshaping the Catholic Church, his death was announced on Monday morning by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo.
“Dear brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” a statement from the camerlengo said.
“At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His whole life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church.”
Farrell continued: “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour 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 Triune God,” the statement concluded.
Pope Francis has battled with pneumonia in both lungs and was recently discharged from a Rome hospital. His medical team said his condition had stabilised, allowing for him to continue his convalescence at his Casa Santa Marta residence back at the Vatican. Two weeks after leaving hospital, he delighted the faithful by making a surprise appearance at St. Peter’s Square.
Pope Francis’s legacy includes championing the rights of the poor, migrants and the environment, as well as creating polarising views on same-sex relationships and how to tackle abuse scandals within the church.
A critic of US President Donald Trump on immigration deportation policies, Pope Francis was very vocal against the rise of nationalist populism, and was under fire from powerful conservative Catholic forces in the US.
