International

Pope Francis Passes Away On Easter Monday

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has died aged 88 the Vatican said on Monday, he was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

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1 year ago

April 21, 2025

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VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has died aged 88 the Vatican said on Monday, he was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

He had suffered a serious bout of double pneumonia this year, which left him hospitalized for 38 days.

However his death came as a shock, after he had been driven around St. Peter’s square in an open-air popemobile to greet cheering crowds a day before, on Easter Sunday.

It was his first prolonged public appearance since being discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on March 23rd.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013.

He became a global superstar, drawing huge crowds on his many foreign travels as he tirelessly promoted interfaith dialog and peace, taking the side of the marginalized.

World leaders paid tribute to Francis, praising his efforts to reform the worldwide church and offering condolences to the world’s 1.4 billion catholics.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni mourned the departure of “a great man, a great shepherd,” he said.

At the Vatican, tourists and pilgrims visiting for Easter expressed their shock and grief.

Francis appointed nearly 80% of the cardinal electors who will choose the next pope.