Pope Francis passed away

This morning, at 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who serves as the Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, made a deeply emotional announcement from the Casa Santa Marta: Pope Francis has passed away.

"Dearest brothers and sisters," he began, "with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father."

Cardinal Farrell spoke warmly about the Pope’s lifelong dedication to serving God and the Church. He remembered Francis as someone who truly lived the Gospel — with courage, love, and a heart especially attuned to the poor and marginalized. "With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus," he said, "we commend his soul to the infinite mercy of God."

Pope Francis had been battling health issues for a while. He was admitted to Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Hospital back on February 14, suffering from a respiratory illness that had lingered for several days. Things got more serious on February 18, when doctors diagnosed him with bilateral pneumonia.

After 38 days in the hospital, he returned home to the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican to continue his recovery — but sadly, he never fully bounced back.

It’s well known that Francis had long-standing respiratory issues. As a young man in Argentina, at just 21, he had part of one lung removed due to a severe infection. And in his later years, those issues returned more often — he even had to cancel a major trip to the UAE in late 2023 due to lung inflammation and the flu.

Even in his final year, Pope Francis continued to make thoughtful changes. In April 2024, he personally approved a revised version of the Church’s liturgical rites for papal funerals — a book called Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis. This new version includes updated instructions for what happens after a pope passes away, such as moving the Pope's body directly to the chapel and placing it in the coffin immediately.

Importantly, these changes reflect Pope Francis’s personal wishes: he wanted a simplified funeral, one that emphasizes faith in Christ’s resurrection over ceremony and power.

Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Master of Apostolic Ceremonies, explained it simply: “The renewed rite is meant to highlight that the Pope is a pastor and a disciple of Christ — not a powerful figure of this world.”

At this point, details for the funeral Mass haven’t been announced yet, but the tone has already been set — a farewell full of humility, grace, and faith, just like the man himself.