VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. He was 88 years old.
Elected in 2013 as the first Jesuit pope and the first from the Americas, Francis became a global advocate for the poor, migrants, and environmental stewardship, embodying his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi. His papacy was marked by pastoral humility, doctrinal controversies, and efforts to reform Vatican governance.
The Vatican is expected to announce funeral arrangements and the convocation of a conclave to elect his successor. World leaders and faithful mourn a pope who reshaped the Church’s role in a divided era.
