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Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88 years old in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican announced.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, shared the news of his passing in a statement from the Vatican early Monday.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, 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. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church,” Farrell wrote.
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God,” he added.
The pope’s passing came one day after he was visited by Vice President JD Vance on Sunday.
“I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” Vance posted to X.
“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul,” Vance stated.
Pope Francis was hospitalized on Feb. 13 after a battle with bronchitis. He was treated for 38 days and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia before returning to the Vatican before his passing.
A separate post from Vatican News noted the Camerlengo will preside over the rite of the ascertainment of the death of Pope Francis.
“Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the rite of the ascertainment of death of Pope Francis and placement of his body in the coffin on Monday evening,” the statement noted.
“The rite will take place in the Chapel of the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta at 8:00 PM (GMT +2),” it continued. “The Holy See Press Office indicated that those present will include the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and family members of the late Pope Francis, along with Dr. Andrea Arcangeli and Dr. Luigi Carbone, the Director and Deputy Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene, respectively.”
