Pope Francis has died.

On Monday morning, the world leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, died at the age of 88 in his Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican.

The Vatican said in an official statement that Pope Francis died of a stroke that later resulted in heart failure.

In his will, which was published by the Vatican, Pope Francis had asked to be buried outside the Vatican, in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, and "without special decorations", reports the BBC.

He was suffering from health problems and before returning to his residence he had stayed for 38 days in a hospital after doctors diagnosed him with double pneumonia.  

He was elected Pope in 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, and chose the name Francis, in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi and his works for the poor. 

Pope Francis was the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, and the first Pope from Latin America, known for his strong stances against war, his care for the poor and marginalized groups, and his humility towards those affected by conflicts. 

His biggest challenge was addressing the sex scandals of Catholic clergy, and he has repeatedly called for terrorism not to be linked to Islam. 

"I think it is not right to identify Islam with violence. I think that in almost all religions there are small fundamentalist groups. We Catholics have them," Pope Francis declared. 
He also attached importance to interfaith dialogue. In 2019, together with the Imam of Al-Azhar in Egypt and Ahmed el-Tayeb, he signed the Document on Human Fraternity, to promote peace and coexistence between different faiths. 

He had also approved the blessing of same-sex couples, but that does not represent marriage, considering marriage between them as a sin. 

Reactions of world leaders

World leaders have reacted after the Pope's death, praising his calls for peace and tolerance. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the news of Pope Francis' death was a cause for great sadness, because "a great man" had passed away.

"I had the privilege of enjoying his friendship, his advice, his teachings, which never ceased even during difficult times and suffering," Meloni said in a statement. "We bid farewell to the Holy Father with a heart full of sadness."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that "the world is mourning the passing of Pope Francis," adding that "he inspired millions of people, beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and pure love for the poorest."

Her comments were echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said the Pope was "a man of humility, who sided with the most vulnerable and the most fragile."

The incoming German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said Francis would be remembered for his "tireless commitment to the weakest in society."

Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance, who met with the Pope on April 20, said his heart "shook with millions of Christians around the world who loved him."

"I'm happy to have met him yesterday, even though he was very ill," he added.

And US President Donald Trump, in honor of Pope Francis, issued an executive order that flags in the US be flown at half-mast. 

Meanwhile, the Moscow Patriarchate said that Pope Francis has played an important role in the active development of contacts between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, the TASS news agency reported.

A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry also expressed sorrow at the news of his death, and expressed "condolences to all Christians around the world."

Life before leadership

In 2013 he was elected as the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics, becoming the first pope born outside Europe to ascend to the helm of the Holy See in more than a thousand years.

Bergoglio, the son of Italian immigrants, had worked as a chemical technician before joining the Jesuits in 1958.

He was ordained as a priest in 1969 and became superior of the Jesuits of a province in Argentina from 1973 to 1979.

In 1988, he was appointed bishop of Buenos Aires. Three years later, Pope John Paul II elevated him to the College of Cardinals, and in 2013 he became Pope.

His period at the helm of the Holy See is remembered for its focus on mercy, social justice, and environmental care.

In 2015, Pope Francis published the encyclical "Laudato si", calling for global action to combat climate change and care for the environment.

In 2021, he underwent surgery on his colon, while in 2023 he had another abdominal surgery to treat a hernia.

He also struggled with chronic knee and back pain, and often used a wheelchair. Despite these complications, he maintained a busy schedule, fulfilling the duties of a Pope and traveling the world.

In early 2025, he was hospitalized for a respiratory tract infection, which later resulted in double pneumonia. His condition worsened, forcing him to stay in the hospital for more than a month.

His legacy

He will be remembered as one of the greatest communicators of the Christian faith, with a focus on justice, ecology, and humanity. 

Just three days before he was hospitalized for bronchitis in February, Pope Francis delivered a message to the United States about President Donald Trump's stance on immigrants. In a letter to the U.S. Catholic bishops, he made it clear that he did not fully agree with Trump's plans for mass deportations of illegal immigrants. 

"What is built on the basis of force and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being begins badly and will end badly," Pope Francis had said. 

The sentiment wasn't just reserved for Trump. Throughout his 12 years as Pope, Francis focused on the dignity of people, especially those others see as outsiders — whether immigrants, prisoners, whom he frequently visited, or LGBTQ+ people. 

"Who am I to judge?" he famously said when asked about his stance on homosexual men and women, a remark that contrasted with his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who once described homosexuality as a tendency "ordered towards an intrinsic moral evil."

This focus on foreigners stemmed in part from Francis’ own experience. He grew up in Argentina, some 11,000 miles from the Vatican, and was the child of immigrants whose family arrived in Buenos Aires in 1929, seeking a new start after abandoning a life in rural Italy. It was this that led him to joke to the crowds in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square on the night of his election in March 2013 that the cardinals had gone to the suburbs to find a new pope.

While these experiences shaped Francis’s thinking, so did the Gospels. He became one of the greatest communicators of the Christian faith, explaining it as a parish priest to pilgrims attending his general audience in St. Peter’s Square. He would finish his recitation of the Angelus there on Sundays with a “buon pranzo”—a good lunch—and rarely wore the traditional red shoes or white trousers, complaining that they made him look like an ice cream vendor. He abandoned the apostolic palace for a simple room in the Casa Santa Marta, a residence used by bishops and cardinals visiting Rome.

This style is a big part of his legacy. Francis was a pope who wanted none of the grandeur of a papacy. But there was substance to it. His concern for those most affected by economic hardship, war and politics, and the flood of refugees flowing through Europe and America, was matched by his empathy for those affected by the climate crisis. His concern for the planet – what he called “our common home” – was rooted in a reverence for God’s creation. His most radical encyclical, or teaching document, “Laudato si’,” was published in 2015, laying out scientific and theological reasons for protecting the planet from climate damage. He often gave his visitors a copy – including Donald Trump in 2017. 

Despite his focus on justice, ecology and poverty, there were rumblings of discontent within the Church about his papacy. When cardinals gathered in Rome to vote on a successor to Benedict XVI after his sudden resignation in February 2013, they wanted a reformer who could shake up the Church’s financial management. Francis swept away the old guard of cardinal overseers and created his own team of clerics and experts after revelations emerged about the Vatican’s own mismanagement of its finances.
He also tried to change the way the church treated priests involved in child sexual abuse. His changes started well, but they faltered after details emerged about clergymen to whom Francis himself seemed to have been too lenient. Some of the Argentine's supporters felt frustrated that the church moved too slowly.

Now, as the door to the Pope's chamber is ritually sealed and his personal papal ring that he has worn for the past 12 years is snapped in two, there will be speculation about who will follow him. Francis has played his part in shaping the Church in his image. Of the 138 cardinals eligible to vote in the upcoming Conclave to elect a new Pope, 110 are Francis' personal choices.

The election of the next Pope is expected to take place within 15-20 days. 

Some potential candidates are: Pietro Parolini (Italy, 70 years old), Luis Antoni Tagle (Philippines, 67 years old), Peter Turkson (Ghana, 76 years old), Peter Erdo (Hungary, 72 years old), Matteo Zuppi (Italy, 69 years old), Jose Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça (Portugal, 59 years old), Mario Grech (Malta, 68 years old), Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Italy, 60 years old), Robert Sarah (Guinea, 79 years old).