Vatican: Pope Francis Is Dead At 88

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he first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church led the faithful for 12 years. Francis, who was Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church, became Pope in 2013 after his predecessor Benedict XVI resigned.

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Francis had recently left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he was admitted on February 14 after suffering from difficulty breathing. A serious bout of double pneumonia was diagnosed as the cause. He died at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican’s TV channel by way of confirmation:

“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 Father’s house. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and 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 Triune.”

In recent years, his papacy had been marked by several hospital visits and concerns about his health. On 14 February, Francis was admitted to the hospital for bronchitis treatment. In the days that followed, the Vatican announced he had been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.

He received blood transfusions after tests revealed he had low levels of platelets in his blood, which is associated with anaemia.

On 22 February, the Vatican announced the Pope was in a critical condition after a “prolonged respiratory crisis” which required a high flow of oxygen. The next day, the Vatican reported Francis was showing an “initial, mild” kidney failure. In the following days, thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square to pray for his recovery.

Others went to the Rome hospital where he was staying to leave flowers and cards. He remained in the hospital for the rest of the month. Doctors had said that his condition remained “complex and Francis would have access to supplemental oxygen and 24-hour medical care as needed.“

They added that while the pneumonia infection had been successfully treated, the pontiff would continue to take oral medication for quite some time to treat the fungal infection in his lungs and continue his respiratory and physical physiotherapy.

Such was the poor and challenging health which was experienced by the octogenarian of late. For the first time since becoming pope in 2013, he missed the majority of recent Holy Week events.

On 6 March, his voice was heard in an audio message for the first time since being admitted to the hospital. In the message, he thanked well-wishers, before adding: “I am with you from here.”

Still, Pope Francis worked to the very last when possible and made a surprise appearance for Easter Sunday blessings at the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square.

The late Pope was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires and made his mark in a number of ways.

Francis was the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European pontiff since Pope Gregory III, more than 1,000 years earlier.

He was frequently accused of being too liberal as he tended to lean toward left wing and globalist politics: yet, in April 2024, Francis appeared to reiterate the Vatican’s staunch opposition to gender reassignment, surrogacy, abortion, and euthanasia by signing the text “Dignitas Infinita” (Infinite Dignity).

In the same year, his own liberal credentials were questioned after reports that he used a homophobic slur behind closed doors

As a young man in his native Argentina, Francis had part of one lung removed. In the last few years of his life, Francis needed a wheelchair or a cane to get around and limited his public speaking while struggling with bronchitis and the flu.

Francis first spent time in the hospital as Pope in 2021 for an operation to remove part of his colon. In June 2023, he was admitted to the hospital for an operation on his intestine. At the time, the Vatican said he had been suffering “recurrent, painful and worsening” symptoms caused by an abdominal hernia.

His recent health issues meant he was forced to miss significant events in the Roman Catholic calendar, including the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum last year.

In 2022, he hinted he might step down if his health deteriorated after he was pictured using a wheelchair due to mobility issues caused by a flare-up of sciatica, a nerve condition that causes leg pain.

His predecessor, the late Benedict XVI, became the first pope to resign in more than 600 years in 2013 instead of serving for life. Benedict died in 2022.

Francis’ death triggers the start of the solemn but considered historical process to elect a replacement beginning with the official period of mourning, then the papal funeral in coming days and finally with a plume of white smoke to announce his successor has been chosen after eligible cardinals vote for a papal successor in the Sistine Chapel.

Pope Francis will be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome’s Esquilino neighborhood. An estimated 1.4 billion Catholics across the world are expected to mourn his passing.✪

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