Pope Francis Died Of Stroke And Subsequent Heart Failure, Says Vatican

Pope Francis died Monday at age 88. History's first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.

The Vatican said the cause of death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure. Francis had chronic lung disease, and he was admitted to a hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.

He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter's Square. No date for the funeral has been announced. The next pope is still to be decided.

"I hope that whoever comes after him can be as competent, as affectionate and as loving," said Mary Soul, a Christian resident of Aleppo, Syria.

Vatican says the cause of death was a stroke

The Vatican said the cause of Francis' death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure.

It also said the pope had decreed that he will be buried in St. Mary Major Basilica in a simple underground tomb. The basilica is home to Francis' favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.

Vatican holds its first public commemoration

The Vatican has begun a Rosary prayer in St. Peter's Square in its first public commemoration following Pope Francis' death. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, led the prayer as the sun set.

The first reading was delivered by Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Vatican City State and one of the highest ranking women at the Vatican. Her appointment was a sign of Francis' insistence that women be given more prominent, decision-making roles.

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