The Vatican announced Pope Francis’s passing at age 88.

The Holy Father suffered from poor health during recent years when he conducted a meeting with VP Vance on Sunday.

Vatican camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced Pope Francis’s death during the morning hours on Monday after the Catholic leader and Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Rome passed away.

He was 88 years old.

Our Holy Father Francis has passed away according to the announcement made to all of us by our dearest brothers and sisters. The Bishop of Rome Francis returned to the house of the Father at 7:35 this morning. The entire duration of his life focused on Lord service through His Church,” Farrell declared.

Through his teachings he showed us how to practise Gospel values ​​with faithfulness and courage while showing universal love toward the poor and marginalised. We honour the soul of Pope Francis by sending him to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God with great appreciation for his example as a true follower of Jesus Christ.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance conducted his meeting with the pope just one day before.

Pope Francis’ death became known to me today. I extend my sympathy to the millions of Christians worldwide who had deep affection for him. Yesterday I felt joy to meet him yet his sickness was evident to everyone. I will always cherish his homily delivered at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. It was really quite beautiful. Vance posted on X at dawn Monday morning about the pope’s passing while expressing his belief that God should rest his soul.

The pope delivered multiple sermons which emphasised Catholic principles of mercy and kindness together with humility. Pope Francis did not avoid confrontation while expressing his opinions to both Donald Trump and Joe Biden during their presidencies.

During his first month in office President Donald Trump received criticism from the pontiff who warned that mass deportations of migrants would result in disastrous outcomes because such forced removals violate human dignity.

The pope issued a stern letter to U.S. Catholic Bishops which seemed to refute statements made by Vice President JD Vance after his conversion to Catholicism when he advocated Americans should prioritise their family and community above caring about others.

The pontiff explained that Christian love does not develop through expanding personal interests toward other individuals and groups. The focus should remain on personal identity and community identity and national identity without any other considerations.

In 2015 Pope Francis made history by becoming the first pontiff to deliver an address to a Joint Meeting of Congress about immigration and family matters as well as the death penalty and climate change and extremism and religious freedom and the refugee crisis.

The pontiff joined American bishops while calling for capital punishment elimination and stated that Congress should take action regarding global warming.

During an interview in 2022 Pope Francis challenged President Biden’s understanding of his own religious beliefs and abortion stance by pointing out the inconsistency in his positions. The foetus develops its DNA structure and organ placement becomes visible exactly one month after conception. The pontiff made his statement about human life during an interview with Univision which broadcasts in Spanish.

During the election campaign the Pope criticised both Trump and Harris by stating “Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ he said, according to the Associated Press.

A few weeks before President Trump’s second presidential oath ceremony he selected Cardinal Robert McElroy to lead the Washington Archdiocese. During Trump’s first presidential term McElroy actively criticised the immigration policies implemented by the president.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio entered the world in 1936 through Argentine soil as the son of Italian immigrants who later became the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic Church.

The election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as pope occurred in 2013 following the historical retirement of Pope Benedict XVI.

Mario Bergolio worked as an accountant for railway services while his wife Regina cared for their five children as a homemaker.

 

The future pope spent his early life performing various basic jobs. Before finding different employment the young Bergolio worked in his father’s accounting firm at the stocking factory but later became a bar bouncer and a janitor.

He obtained his diploma in chemistry from Escuela Técnica Industrial N° 27 Hipólito Yrigoyen before starting his career as a chemical technician. During his time he spent a short period working in a food testing facility. His time in the field of chemistry lasted only a brief period.

He began his religious training at the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto in Argentina. The ordination of Francis as a priest took place in 1969 while his final profession with the Society of Jesus occurred in 1973. During that year he received his appointment as provincial leader for the order.

The Dirty War period in Argentina coincided with his appointment as provincial leader. Bergolio maintained a dangerous position while protecting government targets including numerous Catholic believers during the time of constant threats to his personal safety.

Two Jesuit priests under his leadership disappeared during that period when the government drugged them before abandoning them in a field where they survived barely for five months. According to Pope Francis he had to make deals with the regime to secure the release of those held captive.

The following twenty years of Bergolio’s career involved moving between different positions which his superiors assigned to him. Bergolio worked as a theology professor while also teaching at the seminary and serving as rector and doctoral student and parish priest.

Pope John Paul II selected Bergolio to serve as titular Bishop of Auca while assigning him to assist in the Buenos Aires bishopric in 1992. Cardinal Antonio Quarracino requested the episcopal consecration of Bergolio before he became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

The nation’s Catholic community recognised Bergoglio’s importance so he received the position of Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires to assist Quarracino before succeeding him as archbishop after Quarracino’s passing.

Pope John Paul II bestowed upon Bergoglio the cardinal’s crimson hat during 2001.

After Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013 Bergoglio became the new pope and chose the name “Francis” after St. Francis of Assisi which established the direction for his papacy.

The Jesuit vocation shaped Pope Francis’s teachings throughout his career as priest and bishop and cardinal and pope through his belief that God created each person uniquely for personal relationships. Through his leadership and ministry Pope Francis maintained open doors and accessible church facilities to welcome members of the public.

His opinions extended beyond American political matters.

During his speech he received criticism for his statements about Israel’s Gaza operation which he described as “very serious and shameful.” He used that same speech to denounce rising antisemitism worldwide according to Reuters. The Pope demanded that Ukraine’s war should end and he emphasised his worries about climate change.

The Associated Press reported in 2023 that Pope Francis officially permitted Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples as part of a new church policy which many considered revolutionary at that time.

When Pope Francis became the leader of the Catholic Church he chose to live in simplicity by rejecting the luxurious Vatican apartment and selecting the two-room Domus Santa Marta residence built by Pope John Paul II.

Pope Francis chose to reject the elaborate robes and luxurious clothing that his previous popes had adopted. His papal ensemble consisted only of a simple white cassock with a papal fascia as accessory.

Pope Francis chose to downplay his Fisherman Ring by having it made from silver and reserving its use only for official ceremonies.

During his papacy Francis maintained worldwide efforts to investigate sexual abuse claims against priests which included the United States while making a promise of transparency in 2019.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared that transparency reached its highest point when Pope Francis granted legal authorities access to sexual abuse case documents while eliminating the “pontifical secret” protections.

He expanded Benedict’s efforts to cleanse the Church hierarchy from evil clerics by creating investigative teams and establishing support organisations for victims.

Pope Francis generated frustration among multiple groups who identified as conservatives and liberals along with traditionalists and progressives.

The way he expressed himself about social matters such as sexuality and divorce through gentle but unclear language disappointed those who wanted a stronger advocate for Catholic moral principles.

A group of Catholic clergy and academics delivered to Pope Francis in July 2017 a “Filial Correction” document which identified seven serious theological errors in his public statements. The document faced strong opposition from within both Catholic Church circles and the document received no official response.

His continued defence of traditional Catholic positions regarding abortion and gay marriage and women’s ordination and priestly celibacy created dissatisfaction among progressive Catholics who wanted a more liberal church.

During his time as prelate in Argentina Pope Francis faced criticism from both progressive and conservative factions because of his strong efforts to maintain Catholic unity throughout national and international territories.

Traditionalists strongly protested against his apostolic letter “Traditionis custodes” because it limited traditional Latin mass celebrations to suppress growing conservative movements that separated from the Church.

The Pope blocked progressive discussions about numerous social issues that reformers have been trying to address.

Pope Francis responded to a nun seeking female ordination approval by saying “if the Lord didn’t want sacramental women’s ministry it cannot progress” while stating “We are Catholics but anyone who wants to establish another church can do so freely.”

Pope Benedict XVI attacked German Catholic Church leaders for their progressive stance when they tried to change traditional Catholic teachings about gender and sexuality. Pope Francis approved Vatican letters which accused German Catholic leaders of endangering their church’s connexion to the Catholic Communion.

His “Letter to the Pilgrim People of God in Germany” demonstrated the central concerns of his papacy about authority and unity through this specific passage.

Pope Francis stated through his letter that the universal Church exists through particular Churches which in turn thrive because of their connexion to the universal Church. The separation of any ecclesial body part from the whole causes the part to weaken until it rots and eventually dies. The Church requires constant attention to maintain active and effective communion with all its members.

Pope Francis conducted multiple international journeys which took him to more than thirty countries while he visited both the United States and Cuba in 2015 and travelled to Papua New Guinea and made stops in predominantly Muslim nations such as Egypt, Morocco and Jordan.

Pope Francis faced multiple health issues during his entire papacy.

For numerous years the pontiff experienced sciatica which produced severe leg nerve pain that occasionally restricted his ability to move.

The year 2021 marked the time when Pope Francis underwent hospitalisation for a surgical procedure that removed 13 inches of his colon.

The pontiff returned to the hospital in March 2023 because he suffered from severe chest pain along with breathing difficulties. Medical staff treated his respiratory infection with antibiotics until he recovered enough to leave the hospital.

The pope underwent a second abdominal surgical procedure during June to fix an incisional hernia. Medical staff discharged him after he recovered completely from his procedure.

A residential fall resulted in a right arm contusion for him during January 2025.

A bronchitis attack required medical hospitalisation for the pope in February.

After Pope Francis passed away the Vatican now experiences a period known as sede vacante which translates to “empty seat.”

The Associated Press together with Reuters and Fox News reporter Annie Butterworth provided reporting for this storey.

 

SOURCE

https://www.foxnews.com/world/pope-francis-dead-88-vatican-says