What to know about the death of Pope Francis

Apr. 21, 2025, 4:01 PM ET

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Here are the key things to know about the death of the Argentine pontiff, history's first from Latin America, who presided over the Catholic Church for more than 12 years.

The timing and cause of Pope Francis’ death

The death of Francis was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Irish-born Vatican camerlengo, a position that will be important in the coming weeks as he takes charge of the administration of the Holy See until a new pope is elected.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,” Farrell said. “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church.”

Farrell made the announcement just over two hours after Francis had died. Farrell spoke from Domus Santa Marta, the apartment on Vatican grounds where Francis lived and where he had returned to recover after a hospitalization for double pneumonia.

Later on Monday, the Vatican said Francis died of a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure.

It also said that in his will, Pope Francis decreed he would be buried in a simple underground tomb — with only “Franciscus,” his name in Latin, written on it — at St. Mary Major Basilica, home to Francis’ favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.

A final farewell on Easter Sunday

Francis made his final public appearance a day earlier on Easter Sunday. He appeared very frail, and had delegated the celebration of the Easter Mass to another cardinal. But though his voice was weak, he blessed a crowd of faithful from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica.

“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter,” he said from the same loggia where Jorge Mario Bergoglio was introduced to the world on March 13, 2013 as the 266th pope.

Francis also made a surprise ride in the square in his popemobile, drawing wild cheers and applause.

Beforehand, he met briefly with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill," Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, said on Monday during a visit to India.

Reactions and global mourning

Bells tolled in Catholic churches from his native Argentina to the Philippines and across Rome as messages of tribute poured in from across the world.

Catholic and non-Catholic leaders alike honored a spiritual leader who was a voice for the marginalized and the weak, for migrants and LGBTQ+ people, and for environmental protection.

King Charles III praised the pope for his work on safeguarding the planet. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called him an inspiration for the entire world, not just Christians. Even the far-right Argentine President Milei, who had chilly relations with the pope, expressed sorrow.

“We are saying goodbye to a great man and a great shepherd,” Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of the few official visitors to see Francis during his recent hospitalization, said. Flags were flown at half-staff on Monday across Italy and some top-level soccer matches were postponed.

The representatives of other religions and other Christian denominations also praised him for seeking dialogue. The head of the Church of England remembered him for his commitment to improving relations among the world’s religions, while Rome's chief rabbi described Francis' pontificate as an important new chapter in relations between Judaism and Catholicism.

The pope's recent illness

Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital in Rome on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his papacy.

For the faithful, those were weeks of fear that his illness could be fatal or lead to another papal resignation after that of Pope Benedict XVI, a surprise move that led to the election of Francis in March 2013.

The pontiff's return to the Vatican on March 23 brought relief to many at the time.

Mourning, funeral and then a conclave

Francis' death now sets off the process of allowing the faithful to pay their final respects, first for Vatican officials in the Santa Marta chapel and then in St. Peter’s for the general public.

A precise sequence of events will include the confirmation of death in the pontiff’s home, the transfer of the coffin to St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing, a funeral Mass and burial.

The dates haven't been announced yet, but the burial must take place between the fourth and sixth day after his death.

After the funeral, there are nine days of official mourning, known as the “novendiali.”

During this period, cardinals arrive in Rome to participate in a conclave to elect the next pope.

To give everyone time to assemble, the conclave must begin 15-20 days after the “sede vacante” — a Latin term meaning the seat is vacant — is declared, although it can start sooner if the cardinals agree.

The cardinals will vote in secret sessions, and the ballots will be burned in a special stove after each session.

Black smoke will indicate that no pope has been elected, while white smoke will indicate that the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church.

Pope's record on Ukraine

Francis tried to maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality when it came to Ukraine, and that led to criticism for what some called an unclear position on Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.

He at times expressed apparent sympathy with Russia’s rationale for invading Ukraine — like when he said NATO was “barking at Russia’s door” with its eastward enlargement. And last year he called on Ukraine to show the “courage” to negotiate peace, which seemed to suggest it should capitulate to Russian aggression.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in a condolence message praised Francis as a “consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice.”

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said his country was grieving and recalled how the pope often prayed for peace in Ukraine.

Legacy on clergy sex abuse

Francis also had critics who argued that he failed to bring justice to victims of clergy sex abuse or to bring the needed reforms to the church.

“In this realm, where Francis had supreme power, he refused to make the necessary changes. This choice is having devastating consequences for the Church’s most powerless members. It will forever tarnish the legacy of this remarkable man,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a United States-based watchdog.

The Women’s Ordination Conference also lamented Francis’ unwillingness to push for the ordination of women. “This made him a complicated, frustrating and sometimes heart-breaking figure for many women," it said.

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Gera reported from Warsaw, Poland. Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.