On April 21, 2025, it was announced that Pope Francis had died. On Easter Monday, at 9:45 a.m., Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis in a statement.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God,” Cardinal Farrell wrote.
According to The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, the Pope’s body will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning so that the faithful may pray before his mortal remains.
Fox News’ Alex Hogan confirmed on-air that the Pope had a stroke in the early morning of April 21, went into a coma and then had a heart attack. The Pope has publicly dealt with ongoing health concerns for years, including a recent hospitalization for double pneumonia.
The Pope’s last public appearance was at St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, where he had a brief meeting with Vice President JD Vance.
“Pope Francis had a brief private encounter … lasting a few minutes, in order to exchange good wishes on Easter day,” the Vatican said in a statement.
Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born on Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His involvement in the church has been ongoing since 1969, when he was ordained a priest. In 2013, Bergoglio was elected pope after the sudden resignation of Pope Benedict. He takes the name Francesco (Francis) and becomes the first non-European pope in 1,300 years.
Pope Francis has been celebrated for his progressive views within the Catholic Church, welcoming anyone and everyone into the teachings of Jesus Christ. On July 29, 2013, Francis stated that while the Catholic church considers homosexual acts sinful, having a homosexual orientation is not. “If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?” he said.
Furthermore, on Sept. 24, 2015, he became the first pontiff to address the U.S. Congress. He called on U.S. politicians to embrace immigrants and “accept people who travel north in search of a better life.”
On April 11, 2019, in one of the most powerful moments of his papacy, Francis bent down and kissed the feet of South Sudan’s warring leaders, pleading for peace in a civil war that claimed nearly 400,000 lives.
From then on, Francis encouraged people to get vaccinated when COVID-19 was deemed a global pandemic in 2020. In recent years, he has spoken out against the dangers of climate change, issued a public apology for the past wrongdoings of the Catholic Church against Indigenous peoples and advocated against mass deportation.
Many are touched by the Pope’s final call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Even in sickness, he adapted a near-nightly ritual of calling with the hundreds Palestinian Christians huddling in the only Roman Catholic church in the Gaza strip.
Since the Pope’s death, he has received praise and recognition from world leaders around the globe, including President Donald Trump, King Charles, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin and Dalai Lama.
