World Leaders React as Pope Francis Dies at 88 — A Pope Who Changed Everything Now Gone Forever

Pope Francis, the 266th Bishop of Rome and sovereign of Vatican City, died on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, the Holy See announced in a solemn statement.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, made the announcement from the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta at 9:45 a.m.

local time, confirming that “at 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.

” This news marks the end of a 12‑year papacy defined by humility and reform .

Francis had been admitted to Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on February 14, 2025, after suffering a respiratory crisis that quickly evolved into bilateral pneumonia.

His prolonged 38‑day hospitalization was the longest of his pontificate, compounded by a chronic lung condition stemming from pleurisy in his youth and the surgical removal of part of one lung decades earlier.

Despite multiple respiratory crises—including a near‑fatal moment in late February when doctors considered ending treatment to let him die in peace—he recovered sufficiently to return to Casa Santa Marta on March 23, continuing to receive medical care until his passing .

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936, Francis became the first Jesuit pope and the first pontiff from the Americas when elected on March 13, 2013.

He succeeded Pope Benedict XVI following the latter’s historic resignation, ushering in a new era that broke with centuries‑old traditions.

His election was celebrated worldwide as a symbol of a Church turning toward the global South, and over his 12‑year tenure he steadfastly championed reformist ideals while maintaining core Catholic doctrines .

From the very beginning of his papacy, Francis’s leadership style was characterized by simplicity and personal austerity.

He declined the opulent papal apartments, opting instead to reside in the modest Casa Santa Marta guesthouse; he famously chose to ride in a plain car rather than a gilded papal vehicle, wash the feet of inmates during Holy Week ceremonies, and share meals with the poor.

These gestures of humility, which earned both admiration and criticism, became hallmarks of what many dubbed the “Francis Effect”

Throughout his pontificate, Francis placed the needs of the marginalized at the forefront of the Church’s mission.

He issued encyclicals condemning economic inequality and environmental degradation, famously declaring that “we cannot allow human beings to be at the service of money” and calling for urgent action on climate change.

He also advocated for the poor, migrants, and refugees, establishing institutional mechanisms within the Vatican to coordinate global responses to humanitarian crises and denouncing the death penalty as “inadmissible” under modern conditions .

At the same time, Francis faced opposition from conservative factions uneasy with his progressive stances.

His open-minded comments on civil unions for same‑sex couples, calls for greater roles for women within Church life, and critiques of unrestrained capitalism drew scrutiny and backlash.

Internally, he pushed for greater transparency and accountability regarding clerical sexual abuse, defrocking some senior clergy and initiating high‑profile trials, yet many victims and activists pressed for deeper structural reforms .

Even as his health declined, Francis remained committed to his pastoral duties.

On Easter Sunday, just one day before his death, he delivered his traditional blessing to the crowds in St.

Peter’s Square, a moment that many saw as a final testament to his dedication.

Vatican photographers captured his frail but determined figure addressing the faithful, underscoring the personal sacrifices he made to fulfill his role until the very end .

Upon learning of his passing, senior Vatican officials and cardinals quickly offered public tributes.

Cardinal Farrell’s announcement was followed by a flurry of prayers throughout St.

Peter’s Basilica and spontaneous gatherings of the faithful at the Vatican’s gates.

In his video statement, the camerlengo commended Francis’s soul to “the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God,” reflecting the deep spiritual impact the pope had on millions worldwide.

In accordance with Pope Francis’s own wishes, Vatican officials have prepared simplified funeral rites emphasizing Gospel values over ceremonial grandeur.

The recently approved second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis will guide the Mass, featuring a focus on Francis’s identity as “pastor and disciple” and adhering to his directive for modest rites.

Details on the date of the funeral have yet to be announced, as the Vatican enters a period of official mourning.

With Francis’s death, the Holy See now enters the period known as sede vacante, governed by the College of Cardinals under the leadership of the camerlengo.

According to Church law, a conclave to elect Francis’s successor may not begin until at least fifteen days—and no more than twenty days—after the start of the vacancy, ensuring that all eligible cardinal electors can gather in the Sistine Chapel.

The rules also stipulate that no cardinal over the age of 80 may vote, and with nearly 80 percent of the cardinal-electorate having been appointed by Francis himself, his influence may extend into the next papacy.

As the world reflects on the legacy of Pope Francis, many observers note that his blend of moral courage, personal humility, and global outreach fundamentally reshaped perceptions of the papacy.

From his early days as Archbishop of Buenos Aires to his final hours in Casa Santa Marta, Francis embodied a Church seeking to bridge divides and amplify the voices of the most vulnerable.

His death marks not only the end of an era but also the beginning of a profound transition for Catholicism in the twenty‑first century.