Pope Francis Dies at 88 in Vatican

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

Pope Francis died Monday morning, at the age of 88.

Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, announced about the Pope’s demise. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church, Farrell said in the announcement.

Just yesterday, Pope Francis made a surprise public appearance on Easter Sunday, greeting a crowd of more than 35,000 in St. Peter’s Square from his popemobile in what marked his most significant outing since recovering from a severe case of double pneumonia.

“Brothers and sisters, happy Easter!” the 88-year-old pope declared from the loggia balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Francis did not celebrate the Easter Mass—Cardinal Angelo Comastri. But he surprised the crowd by looping through the piazza, stopping to bless babies and waving to pilgrims amid cheers of “Viva il Papa!” and “Bravo!”

Pope Francis, leader of 1.4 billion Catholics, was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He became Pope in 2013 after his predecessor, Benedict XVI, resigned.

The Pope had suffered various ailments in his 12-year papacy. The last few months of his papacy had been marked by several hospital visits and concerns about his health.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, was the first pope from the Americas.

Elected pontiff at age 76, he moved quickly to make an impact. Over 12 years, he had reorganized the Vatican’s bureaucracy, written four major teaching documents, made 47 foreign trips to more than 65 countries, and created more than 900 saints.

Overall, Francis was widely seen as trying to open the staid global Church to the modern world.

Among major decisions, he had allowed priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis and has appointed women to serve as leaders of Vatican offices for the first time.

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