Pope Francis has died, Vatican says, 21 Apr 2025

[realanastasia]

I saw this comment on a messageboard and think it is worth sharing here for its comforting perspective:

“In the Jewish faith, dying on/near the holiest day of the year is perportedly indicative of the person being a Tzadik, a righteous person. I hope the people mourning him take comfort in their faith.”

 

[Aurora90]

This surprised me... he looked frail yesterday, but he didn't look like death was imminent.

There’s a term that is known as Terminal Lucidity, aka the dead cat bounce. It’s where someone at the end stage of their life appears to experience a brief period of “recovery”. But it’s usually only for a short amount of time.

Seeing as the pope was hospitalized for quite a while and almost didn’t make it before his was surprisingly discharged, maybe Terminal Lucidity was the case here?

 

[Vaderman]

"Pope Francis is dead. ​

He died at the age of 88."​

View attachment 580634

Rest in Peace.

Papież Franciszek nie żyje. Zmarł w wieku 88 lat

W wieku 88 lat zmarł papież Franciszek. Jorge Mario Bergoglio stał na czele Kościoła katolickiego od 13 marca 2013 roku. Argentyński jezuita pod koniec swojego pontyfikatu często chorował. Ostatnie poważne...

wiadomosci.wp.pl

Wow. I saw a news headline about his Easter message yesterday and really thought he was on the mend and got over the worst of it. Was shocked to wake up this morning.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Pope Francis leaves a legacy as a Catholic Church reformer

The leader of the world’s 1 billion Roman Catholics addressed past scandals and embraced migrants, the poor and gay and lesbian faithful. Some wished he’d gone further.

www.nbcnews.com

From working as a bouncer at a Buenos Aires nightclub to presiding over the Vatican, the path Pope Francis forged as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was as unlikely as it was unprecedented.

Francis, who died Monday at age 88, was keen to flex his muscles as supreme pontiff. He angered some Catholic Church traditionalists by reaching out to gay and marginalized people, demanding justice for the poor and the dispossessed and railing against unbridled capitalism and climate change.

As the first pope from the Americas, Francis was in many ways the ultimate Vatican outsider who charted a new and more liberal course as the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

“He embarked on a real reorganization of the church, and a real reorientation of the church, after four decades of conservative theologians leading the way,” said David Gibson, director of the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture...

The life of Pope Francis in pictures

Born in 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, making him the first pope from the Americas.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[sds71]

The Dean of the Sacred College has summoned the Most Eminent Cardinals to Rome. Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. the First General Congregation

https://twitter.com/x/status/1914306796073759049

 

[Herat]

Pope Francis leaves a legacy as a Catholic Church reformer

The leader of the world’s 1 billion Roman Catholics addressed past scandals and embraced migrants, the poor and gay and lesbian faithful. Some wished he’d gone further.

www.nbcnews.com

From working as a bouncer at a Buenos Aires nightclub to presiding over the Vatican, the path Pope Francis forged as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was as unlikely as it was unprecedented.

Francis, who died Monday at age 88, was keen to flex his muscles as supreme pontiff. He angered some Catholic Church traditionalists by reaching out to gay and marginalized people, demanding justice for the poor and the dispossessed and railing against unbridled capitalism and climate change.

As the first pope from the Americas, Francis was in many ways the ultimate Vatican outsider who charted a new and more liberal course as the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

“He embarked on a real reorganization of the church, and a real reorientation of the church, after four decades of conservative theologians leading the way,” said David Gibson, director of the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture...

The life of Pope Francis in pictures

Born in 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, making him the first pope from the Americas.

www.nbcnews.com

My feelings are that his late Holiness, Pope Francis spent his energies in his last hours vigorously advocating for justice and the rights of all humans, especially those in conflict zones, and made a point to emphasize this with his Easter address and the last few public individuals he gave audience to.

A hugely noble endeavor for this remarkable man. May he rest in peace.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5258740-trump-flags-half-staff-pope-francis/

President Trump on Monday directed all federal and state flags to fly at half-staff in commemoration of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 earlier that morning.

The president said he signed an executive order to put the flags at half-staff just before exiting the White House for the traditional Easter Egg Roll event.

“He was a good man; he worked hard; he loved the world. And it’s an honor to do that,” Trump said, flanked by first lady Melania Trump and the White House Easter Bunny...

 

[tarabull]

JD Vance was one of the last leaders to meet with Pope Francis - World News

One of Pope Francis' final encounters before his death was with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who visited the Vatican over the weekend.

www.castanet.net

ETA: Monday JD dropped Ohio State's Championship trophy...just saying.

 

[Yellowbelly]

There’s a term that is known as Terminal Lucidity, aka the dead cat bounce. It’s where someone at the end stage of their life appears to experience a brief period of “recovery”. But it’s usually only for a short amount of time.

Seeing as the pope was hospitalized for quite a while and almost didn’t make it before his was surprisingly discharged, maybe Terminal Lucidity was the case here?

I was quite surprised when it was announced this morning that he had died as he seemed to be recovering. I suppose that when you're 88, have only got 1.5 lungs and have to fight off double pneumonia that takes so much out of your body that it can just give up.

 

[DS2021]

Pope Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican says: Updates

The pope's death comes one day after Francis, 88, greeted Easter Sunday crowds in his popemobile. He had battled a respiratory infection for weeks.

www.usatoday.com

Pope Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican says:

 

[Herat]

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5258740-trump-flags-half-staff-pope-francis/

President Trump on Monday directed all federal and state flags to fly at half-staff in commemoration of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 earlier that morning.

The president said he signed an executive order to put the flags at half-staff just before exiting the White House for the traditional Easter Egg Roll event.

“He was a good man; he worked hard; he loved the world. And it’s an honor to do that,” Trump said, flanked by first lady Melania Trump and the White House Easter Bunny...

A bit off the topic, but why have an Easter Egg Roll event on the day after Easter?

 

[DS2021]

Pope Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican says: Updates

The pope's death comes one day after Francis, 88, greeted Easter Sunday crowds in his popemobile. He had battled a respiratory infection for weeks.

www.usatoday.com

Pope Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican says:

They mention he had fallen into a coma earlier in the day

 

[Herat]

This surprised me... he looked frail yesterday, but he didn't look like death was imminent.

RIP. I'm not Catholic or even Christian or even religious at all, but he seemed like a good man. I appreciate that he was more open and kind to the LGBTQ+ community than previous popes, and I hope the next one doesn't reverse all of that progress.

ETA - I also appreciate that he wasn't afraid to tell people (especially world leaders) if he thought they were acting in a way that was unchristlike - and to him, that meant leaders that persecuted others. He promoted kindness as the number one attribute of his religion, and I appreciated that.

His last public message, at the Easter Mass was full of compassion and concern for those in the conflicts all over the world, Ukraine, Congo, but especially for the Palestinians and Christians in Gaza.

I feel as though he was expending his last moments in remembering Christ's sacrifice and redemption, with the background of what is still severe suffering for peoples in conflict.

 

[tarabull]

Megyn Kelly reflects on the death of Pope Francis: his life, legacy, and complicated messaging.

 

[Dotta]

People stand by the image of the late Pope Francis in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

"Pope Francis,
in his will announced on Monday evening,
wrote that he wants to be buried
in the Roman Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The Pope asked for a modest grave in the ground
and a single inscription:
Franciscus.

The will,
announced by the Vatican on the day of the Pope's death,
is dated June 29, 2022.

The causes of Pope Francis' death are:
stroke, coma and irreversible circulatory failure -
officially stated by Prof. Andrea Arcangeli, director of the Vatican City State Health and Hygiene Board.

The statement stated that Pope Francis suffered from:
acute respiratory distress resulting from bilateral polymicrobial pneumonia, multiple bronchiectasis, hypertension and type II diabetes.


Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square on Monday to pray the rosary for Pope Francis, who died this morning.
The rosary was led by the archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti.


At the beginning of the prayer,
Cardinal Gambetti said:

'Hearing the invitation of Pope Francis,
'Do not forget to pray for me,'
heard so many times,
echo in our hearts,
we want to pray for him this evening'."

Kościół po śmierci Franciszka

Kościół po śmierci Franciszka

www.gosc.pl

"May the Lord reward those who loved me and will continue to pray for me.

The suffering I experienced in the last part of my life,
I offered to the Lord
for Peace in the world and Brotherhood among nations."

Pope Francis' Will

Pogrzeb Franciszka. Meloni zwołuje specjalne posiedzenie włoskiego rządu [RELACJA]

Papież Franciszek zmarł w poniedziałek o godz. 7.35 rano - ogłosił kardynał Kevin Farrell w komunikacie podanym przez w…

wiadomosci.wp.pl

 

[Seattle1]

I was quite surprised when it was announced this morning that he had died as he seemed to be recovering. I suppose that when you're 88, have only got 1.5 lungs and have to fight off double pneumonia that takes so much out of your body that it can just give up.

It's been reported he awoke by his alarm clock at 6AM and fell ill an hour later--a cerebral stroke.

Now his death certificate has been released.

How did Pope Francis die? Death certificate reveals cause of death

Pope Francis received treatment for his health in the months leading up to his death.

www.today.com

At 88 years old, Pope Francis died, the Vatican announced on April 21. His cause of death was a cerebral stroke which put him in a coma followed by heart failure, his death certificate states.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in a statement shared by the Vatican early Monday morning.

“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and the marginalized.”

 

[sds71]

@NBA_NewYork

RIP Pope Francis

https://twitter.com/x/status/1914234294081384738

 

[Bigditch]

RIP Sir Pope

 

[iamshadow21]

Pope Francis tried to change the Catholic Church for women, with mixed success

Pope Francis is being remembered as a pastoral leader – and in some ways, his treatment of women in the Catholic Church was unprecedented. But he could have done more.

theconversation.com

I think his legacy is an important one. He made changes and improvements, but there is still more work to be done to make the church a safer place that is welcoming to the most amount of people. I hope for another progressive appointment who will build on what Francis started.

His opening more roles up for women, his acknowledgement of the deep problem the church has with abusers in its midst, his push for peace around the globe, and his open conversations with queer Catholics are what I will remember the most about his impact during his time as pontiff.

Here’s what the late Pope Francis said about LGBTQ+ people, abortion and other key issues

The pontiff, who died Monday at 88, was beloved by many progressive Catholics.

19thnews.org

I would have liked him to be more progressive about abortion, IVF and surrogacy, but that is something future pope/s may be more open minded on.

MOO

 

[airportwoman]

Pope Francis emerges from convalescence on Easter, delights crowd with popemobile tour

“Viva il Papa!” (Long live the pope), “Bravo!” the crowd shouted as Francis looped through St. Peter's Square in his open-topped popemobile.

www.detroitnews.com

Vatican City — Pope Francis emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St. Peter's Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause as he continues his recovery from a near-fatal bout of double pneumonia.

“Viva il Papa!” (Long live the pope), “Bravo!” the crowd shouted as Francis looped through the square in his open-topped popemobile and then up and down the main avenue leading to it. He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him, a scene that was common in the past but unthinkable just a few weeks ago as the 88-year-old pope fought for his life.

“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” Francis said, his voice sounding stronger than it has since he was released from the hospital March 23 after a five-week stay...

I really think the Pope wanted to hang on just long enough to witness another Easter, and when he did, it was time to go.

Well done, good and faithful servant.