The Vatican stated in a video message on Monday that Pope Francis, the first Latin American head of the Roman Catholic Church, passed away at the age of 88. He was 88 and had suffered various ailments in his 12-year papacy.
“This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in the statement published by the Vatican on its channel.
In his Easter Sunday speech on Sunday, Pope Francis urged tolerance and freedom of thought. Francis recited his customary “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) benediction to an associate after extending his Easter greetings to the throng, which was believed to number over 35,000, from the basilica’s balcony. “There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others,” read his speech, which also condemned “worrisome” anti-Semitism, and the “dramatic and deplorable” situation in Gaza.
Pope Francis gained acclaim worldwide for his modest manner and profound empathy for the underprivileged. He introduced a new, modest tone to the pope when he was elected in 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
Francis was known as “the pope of the slums” because of his strong support for the underprivileged and disenfranchised. He frequently traveled to underprivileged areas during his tenure as pontiff and in Argentina, promoting social justice and the Church’s function as a haven for the marginalized and downtrodden. His acceptance of immigrants, LGBTQ Catholics, and others frequently shunned by the Church caused a stir.
The pope is chosen by the College of Cardinals, the highest ranking body in the Church globally. The cardinals are called to the Vatican for the papal election or conclave if a pope dies or resigns. In order to give time for grieving and for all of the cardinals to get to Rome, the conclave typically begins 15 to 20 days after the pope’s passing. As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the cardinals are brought together at the historic Sistine Chapel at the Vatican for the papal election.
Pope Francis was released from the hospital on March 23, after five weeks of treatment for pneumonia. Francis, who outsourced his responsibilities to cardinals, missed the majority of Holy Week festivities for the first time since he was elected pope in 2013. These events included the Easter vigil at Saint Peter’s Basilica and Friday’s Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum.
The first pope from the Americas and an Argentinean by birth, Francis was also the first to reside outside the Vatican’s apostolic palace, an elaborate Italian Renaissance structure next to St. Peter’s Square, for over a century. Despite his advanced age and physicians’ advice to ease down, Pope Francis has maintained a hectic schedule since his election in 2013 and is rumored to have never taken a vacation.
