Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, just one day after greeting thousands from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Vatican confirmed the Pope died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at his home in Casa Santa Marta. Cardinal Farrell announced the news with “deep sorrow.”
The Pope had made a surprise appearance on Easter Sunday, waving from his wheelchair and wishing the crowd a happy Easter.
The Pope had been fighting illness for quite some time.
Pope Francis had asked for a simpler funeral than past Popes. Instead of three coffins, he will be buried in a plain wooden one lined with zinc. His body will not be placed on a raised platform, but mourners will be allowed to pay respects with the lid removed.
He will also be the first Pope in more than 100 years to be buried outside the Vatican. His final resting place will be the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
Photo by Ashwin Vaswani on Unsplash
(written by: B Perreault)