Pope Francis passed away “peacefully” this morning due to stroke, which is said to be unrelated to the respiratory problems he suffered in February, according to Italian news outlet La Repubblica.
In a statement to the outlet, doctors who treated him said: “The Pope passed away peacefully,” adding that he had suffered “a brain problem, most likely a stroke.” It is unknown whether it was hemorrhagic or not.
His doctors reportedly said that he had woken up at 6am, fell ill at 7am, and passed away from a stroke around half-an-hour later.
Pope Francis suffered “a brain problem, most likely a stroke,” doctors who treated him reportedly said
Image credits: Presidenza della Repubblica
The leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013 passed away aged 88 at home in the Saint Martha residence in the Vatican after dedicating his “entire life” to serving God and the Church, the Holy See’s press service stated.
His body will lie in state in St Peter’s Basilica for three days, and then he will be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
His body could lie in state as soon as Wednesday, according to Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office.
Image credits: Ashwin Vaswani / Unsplash
In his last public appearance before his passing, the Pope greeted thousands of worshippers in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
He appeared on the Vatican balcony and told crowds, “Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter,” before an aide read the rest of his annual Urbi et Orbi blessing and speech.
He paused several times to bless babies brought before him while passing through the delighted crowd.
Doctors said he passed away “peacefully” at around 7:30 a.m. on Monday
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Pope Francis had a prolonged respiratory crisis that required the administration of high-flow oxygen and transfusions. He remained hospitalized at Gemelli for 38 days, until March 23 , when he was discharged.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first Latin-American pontiff in 2013 and was one of the oldest popes in the church’s history.
His passing brings an end to what is considered one of the most consequential papacies of modern times, in which the Pope spoke out about environmentalism and care for the poor.