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

Pope Francis, 88, a humble reformer who sought to make the Catholic Church more inclusive and clashed with world leaders over the rights of immigrants, died Easter Monday following a lengthy bout of double pneumonia, the Vatican said.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who oversees the pope's affairs, announced his death from Casa Santa Marta, where Francis lived at the Vatican. A funeral date has not been announced, but the Vatican said it would likely take place between Friday and Sunday.

Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in a death certificate released Monday. The certificate, which was published by the Vatican, said the pope had fallen into a coma before his death early that day. The Vatican also said Francis had relayed in a final statement his wishes to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

"Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," Farrell said in a statement on Vatican News. "At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father."

The pope's death comes one day after a frail but determined Francis greeted thousands in St. Peter's Square after Easter Mass in his open-air popemobile − and just weeks after an extended hospital stay during which he battled bilateral pneumonia and other health issues.

The pope, who shunned pomp and privilege and loved to be among the public, sat in a raised chair in the vehicle as people cheered “viva il papa.” He stopped at several places along the square, much to the delight of the crowd.

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"His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church," Farrell said. "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."

A pope's life: Pope Francis was the 266th occupant of the throne of St. Peter

Developments:

∎ The Vatican said the "rite of ascertainment of death" and placement of Pope Francis’ body in the coffin would take place Monday around 8 p.m. local time.

∎ The pope's body is tentatively planned to be transferred to St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning "so that the faithful may pray before his mortal remains," Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said.

∎ Ten Americans, mostly from the Midwest, are among the 135 cardinals who will vote for a successor to Francis.

∎ In his final address on Easter Sunday, Francis called for a cease-fire in Gaza and offered a message of hope. Read his remarks here.

When is the pope's funeral? What we know about the schedule of services so far

What is the timeline for a new pope?

Church doctrine calls for the pope to be buried four to six days after his death, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Funeral rites are celebrated for nine days after his death.

Usually within three weeks of a pope's death, the College of Cardinals, the church's most senior officials residing either at the Vatican or spread across the world, gather in Rome for a papal conclave to choose the next pope. Since 1975, only those younger than 80 are able to participate in the papal conclave. As of Jan. 22, there were 252 cardinals, of whom 138 are electors, according to the Vatican.

The electors meet in the Sistine Chapel and begin rounds of voting until a candidate receives at least two-thirds of the electors' votes. After votes that fail to pick a pope, cardinals burn the slips of paper with chemicals that produce black smoke. Once a candidate earns the requisite number of votes − and he accepts the papacy − chemicals that produce white smoke are added and the world is notified that a successor has been chosen. Read more here.

− Savannah Kuchar

What happens when a pope dies? What to know about papal conclave, how new pope is elected

Could the next pope be an American?

Two U.S. cardinals are prominent leaders in the global church who could be surprise selections for pope. The differences between the two Americans reflect divisions within the broader global church. 

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, 72, was a confidant of Pope Francis. He is a particularly fierce advocate for immigrants who has defended the progressive, inclusive teachings of Francis. Tobin has openly welcomed LGBTQ people into services and has suggested the church might, in the future, allow women to be ordained into the ministry.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, 76, led the Archdiocese of St. Louis before holding various roles in church governance. He was appointed to the College of Cardinals in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI, who was a vociferous defender of mostly traditional Catholic doctrines. Burke opposes softening attitudes toward homosexuality or encouraging acceptance of gay people in Catholic life. 

− Jayme Fraser 

Francis advocated solidarity with other religions

As the leader of approximately 1.4 billion baptized Catholics worldwide, Francis made a point of reaching out to followers of other religions, pushing for interfaith solidarity.

He fostered those connections by making more than 45 international trips, including visits to the Middle East, where he met with people of other faiths, including Jews, Muslims and Buddhists.

"All religions are paths to God,'' Francis said during a September trip to Singapore, likening different faiths to "different languages that express the divine'' and adding, "but God is for everyone.''

− N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Francis was first pope to visit a US Catholic school

Catholics in the U.S. grieved Francis, the first pope to visit one of the nation's roughly 6,000-plus Catholic schools.

Francis did so in 2015 when he met with students at Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem, according to Mary Grace Walsh, the superintendent of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York. 

She invited students and staff to pause and pray for Francis on Monday. “May Pope Francis rest in everlasting joy and peace,” she said in a statement. 

Presidents of the country’s more than 200 Catholic colleges also honored Francis on Monday. 

“We should embrace his vision for Catholic education,” Peter Kilpatrick, president of the Catholic University of America, said in a statement. “He called for education that forms missionary disciples prepared to address contemporary challenges with intellectual rigor and spiritual depth.”

− Zachary Schermele

Francis clashed with global leaders over immigration

Pope Francis forged a legacy championing the just treatment of migrants and was often at odds with world leaders who sought to limit the flow of outsiders. When he was elected as the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pope in 2013, 51.2 million people were forcibly displaced. Last year, the number of displaced people rose to more than 120 million. 

Francis was born to Italian immigrants in Argentina and called upon his family’s experiences when imploring compassion for migrants. He took issue with a comment by Vance in January that “you love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then, after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.”

“Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups," Francis wrote in a Feb. 10 letter to U.S. Bishops.

But his concerns stretch back to his early years as pope. He told a meeting of German faithful at the Vatican in October 2016 that it is "hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help." Read more here.

− Karissa Waddick and Lauren Villagran

Pope Francis was a 'son of immigrants': Pontiff leaves lasting legacy

Trump said Francis 'worked hard, loved the world'

President Donald Trump paid respects to Pope Francis in brief remarks as he addressed the annual White House Easter Egg Roll from the White House’s South Portico Monday morning.

“He was a good man, worked hard, he loved the world," Trump told the thousands in attendance for the 147th iteration of the egg roll tradition. “He especially loved people that were having a hard time. That’s good with me.”

Trump said he signed an order earlier in the day directing U.S. flags and state flags to be lowered to half-staff, calling it "an honor." Trump said he was uncertain whether he would attend Francis’ funeral, saying he would need to "look at the timing.”

Earlier, Trump offered his condolences in a social media post. "Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!" Trump said on Truth Social.

− Francesca Chambers and Joey Garrison 

How did Pope Francis die?

Popes are not autopsied. Francis died about four weeks after he was released from the hospital following an extended battle with respiratory ailments. While the Vatican did not immediately specify an official cause of death, the pope had spent about five weeks earlier in 2025 hospitalized with a life-threatening case of pneumonia in both his lungs.

Throughout his life, Pope Francis suffered from lung infections. In his native Argentina in 1957, while in his early 20s, he had a severe respiratory infection that resulted in the removal of part of his lung. In recent years, respiratory issues were a recurrent health challenge he faced, as were several other aliments throughout his life.

− Alyssa Goldberg

Francis had part of his lung removed: How respiratory illness impacted his life

Where was Pope Francis born?

Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires on Dec. 17, 1936. The son of Italian immigrant parents, Francis rose through the ranks as a Jesuit priest in his home country of Argentina. Elected in March 2013, Francis was the 266th pope, spiritual leader to nearly 1.4 billion baptized Catholics worldwide.

Argentines were among those across the globe mourning Francis, holding a special Mass in the cathedral in Buenos Aires, where Francis was once archbishop. The building was adorned with a photo of Francis, white flowers and the blue and white flag of Argentina. The government said there would be seven days of mourning.

“The pope of the poor has left us, the pope of the marginalized,” said Jorge Garcia Cuerva, who is now archbishop of Buenos Aires, referring to Francis’ time working in the city’s poor districts that led to his nickname, the “slum pope.”

World mourns: Tributes pour in after the death of Pope Francis

World leaders remember Francis

Britain's King Charles, in a statement posted to the royal family's X account, said he and the queen were remembering their meetings with the pope with "particular affection" and for "his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith and to those of goodwill who work for the benefit of others.” 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, noted the “millions of people around the world” who will mourn the pope’s passing: “His life was devoted to God, to people, and to the Church. He knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians.”

− Dinah Voyles Pulver and Melissa Montoya

Obama, Biden pay homage to Francis

Former President Joe Biden, a Catholic, shared thoughts about Pope Francis on X.

“For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina and his mission of serving the poor never ceased,” Biden said. “He advocated for the voiceless and powerless. He made all feel welcome and seen by the Church. He promoted equity and an end to poverty and suffering across the globe. And above all, he was a Pope for everyone.”

Former President Barack Obama also posted on X, saying the pope "was the rare leader who made us want to be better people."

“Today, Michelle and I mourn with everyone around the world – Catholic and non-Catholic alike – who drew strength and inspiration from the Pope’s example. May we continue to heed his call to never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope.”

− Dinah Pulver

Francis clashed with Trump administration on immigration

The pope often sparred with political leaders over their treatment of immigrants and found himself at odds with Trump and  Vice President JD Vance. Francis had spent the past dozen years of his papacy highlighting the struggles of immigrants and asking the faithful to defend them.

His tenure coincided with a massive increase in displaced people worldwide. The United Nations estimates that some 120 million people have been forced to leave their homes in recent years. This rise in migration has also led to a backlash against migrants in destination countries, including the United States.

Speaking to the public during a weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square in August 2024, Francis stated that "it needs to be said clearly: There are those who systematically work by all means to drive away migrants, and this, when done knowingly and deliberately, is a grave sin."

− Lauren Villagran

Francis often stood up for immigrants: Here are five ways

Pope Francis never returned home

Francis rose through the ranks to archbishop of Buenos Aires, where he became known as the "slum pope" for his focus on the poor and spending time in the capital's tough urban neighborhoods, or villas.

He was elevated to pope in 2013, the first pope from the Americas and the first born outside of Europe in over a millennia. During his papacy, he was praised and criticized for commenting on political issues, from immigration to LGBTQ issues.

Francis would make more than 45 international trips, including the first by any pope to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Myanmar, North Macedonia, Bahrain and Mongolia. But the one-time archbishop of Buenos Aires never returned to Argentina, where he had a sometimes rocky relationships with government leaders. President Javier Milei, who once called Francis the "devil's representative on Earth," posted a tribute to Francis on X.

"Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his kindness and wisdom was a true honor for me," Milei wrote. "As President, as an Argentine, and, fundamentally, as a man of faith, I bid farewell to the Holy Father and stand with all of us who are today dealing with this sad news."

Boehner: Pope Francis ‘changed my life’

Former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who invited Pope Francis to become the first pontiff to address a joint session of Congress in September 2015, said the meeting changed his life.

"Speaker, will you pray for me?" Boehner quoted Francis as asking him.

“With those words, Pope Francis changed my life,” Boehner said in a post on social media. “He will forever hold a place in America's history as the first Pope to address a joint meeting of the US Congress, and in hearts across the world for his compassionate stewardship of the Church.”

Francis draws praise from LGBTQ+ ministry

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Catholic ministry of justice and reconciliation for LGBTQ+ people, called Francis a "gift to the church and to the LGBTQ+ community." DeBernardo credited the pope with encouraging church leaders to "accompany, listen, and dialogue with LGBTQ+ people," thus opening doors that had been "sealed shut by the homophobia and transphobia" of previous popes.

"Francis was not only the first pope to use the word “gay” when speaking about LGBTQ+ people, he was the first pope to speak lovingly and tenderly to them," DeBernardo said in an email to USA TODAY. "His kind words of welcome to this community, traditionally marginalized in the church, rang loudly around the globe." 

When did JD Vance meet the pope?

Vice President JD Vance shared his condolences April 21 after the death of Pope Francis, a day after he met with the head of the Catholic Church at the Vatican. Photos taken by the Vatican and shared by the White House showed a smiling Vance, a Catholic convert who clashed with Francis in the past over immigration, seated across from Francis, who was in a wheelchair.

"My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him. I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill," Vance posted on X. "But I’ll always remember him for the ... homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful."

− Francesca Chambers

Pope had been near death in the hospital weeks earlier

Francis' Easter Sunday appearance in the crowd at St. Peter's Square came after a hospital stay of more than five weeks during which at one point physicians considered halting treatment to allow him to die peacefully.

Francis was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong battle with bronchitis. He had been struggling to speak and even breathe during public appearances. His hospitalization included multiple attacks of "acute respiratory insufficiency," according to daily updates issued by the Vatican.

While hospitalized, the pope was also diagnosed with a polymicrobial infection and then mild renal insufficiency.

Sergio Alfieri, a physician at Rome's Gemelli hospital, told Italy's Corriere della Sera in an interview last month that two weeks into the pope's hospitalization the medical team had to decide whether to "stop and let him go or force it and try all the drugs and therapies possible." Alfieri said the pope delegated health care decisions to Massimiliano Strappetti, his personal health assistant, who told the team to "try everything, don't give up."

The pope was released from the hospital March 23 and has been back to work, albeit on a shortened schedule.

What time did the pope die?

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the pope's death from the Casa Santa Marta early Monday morning. He said that "at 7:35 this morning, the bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father."

The cause of death was not immediately announced, but Francis had spent more than five weeks in the hospital earlier this year with bronchitis and related illnesses.

Pope Francis' last appearance was Easter Sunday

Before Francis emerged into the crowd at St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday in his popemobile, the pope had blessed the throng from a balcony.

He gave a proclamation that 'Christ, my hope, has risen" before passing on his text to be read by Archbishop Diego Ravelli. An Italian cardinal presided over the Easter morning Mass that drew more than 50,000 faithful gathered to the "flower-filled Saint Peter’s Square," the Vatican said.

How will the next pope be selected?

The election of a new pope is a highly mystified and sacred process, dating back centuries and enshrined in last year's award-winning thriller "Conclave."

The last time the College of Cardinals gathered to vote and select the next representative of God on Earth was more than a dozen years ago, when Pope Francis was selected.

His predecessor, Pope Benedict, stepped down from the papacy in 2013, a decision that had not been made by someone of his station in almost 600 years. Benedict, then 85, cited his age and declining health. He died in 2022. Read more here about what the process will look like.

Francis tapped nearly 80% of the cardinal electors

Francis appointed nearly 80% of the cardinal electors who will choose the next pope, increasing, but not guaranteeing, the possibility that his successor will continue his progressive policies. Some Vatican experts have predicted a more moderate, less divisive successor.

Under his watch, an overhauled Vatican constitution allowed any baptized lay Catholic, including women, to head most departments in the Catholic Church’s central administration.

He put more women in senior Vatican roles than any previous pope but not as many as progressives wanted.