Pope Francis dies at 88

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and the Vatican City, died on Monday, the Vatican said. He was 88.

Francis died at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.

For several weeks in February and March, Francis was being treated for pneumonia in both lungs at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. He had been discharged from hospital in March.

Born in Argentina as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis was the first pope from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere. He was elected as the pope at a papal conclave in March 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI resigned.

Francis was the archbishop of Buenos Aires between 1998 and 2013.

The death of Francis will prompt a conclave of the church’s cardinals to elect a successor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Francis’ death, saying that he would be remembered as a “beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage”.

Deeply pained by the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. In this hour of grief and remembrance, my heartfelt condolences to the global Catholic community. Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the… pic.twitter.com/QKod5yTXrB— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 21, 2025

British monarch King Charles said Francis would be remembered “for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for...

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