Pope Francis has died at age 88

 Pope Francis has died aged 88, the Vatican announced on April 21, 2025.

His death came one day after a brief appearance to thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Vatican’s open-air Easter Sunday mass. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936. He later chose Francis as his name to honour Saint Francis of Assisi.

 Francis was declared pope on March 13, 2013, becoming the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics after his predecessor, Benedict XVI, became the first pope to resign in 600 years.

 Francis challenged the conventions followed by pontiffs before him. He pushed for a more transparent Vatican, connected to the concerns of common people and engaged with other faiths.

During Christmas address in 2024, Francis denounced the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying: “May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war”.

He would repeat his message of concern for Gaza in his address at the Easter mass, a day before his death. Briefly appearing on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, he condemned the “deplorable humanitarian situation” caused by Israel’s 18-month war on the Palestinian territory.

Francis also assembled an advisory council of cardinals and launched a probe into the Vatican Bank, which was accused of money laundering and corruption.

Pope Francis suffered severe complications in recent weeks after a bout of double pneumonia for which he spent five weeks in hospital.

 He was admitted to hospital in Rome on February 14 for bronchitis, which he had been diagnosed with eight days prior but he continued to preside over general audiences and an outdoor mass.

 He was released on March 23, with expectations that he would resume his duties gradually before his death.

Currently his body is dressed in papal vestments and placed in St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. Hundreds and thousands of people line up to pay their respects.

The funeral will likely take place in St Peter’s Square, with a service led by the dean of the College of Cardinals. The current dean is Giovanni Battista Re.

Details of the funeral will be released soon

Done by Shaneca Cupido