Vatican City — Pope Francis died at the age of 88 early Monday — less than a day after Easter Sunday, which he marked with a holiday blessing during a Saint Peter’s Square mass, following a brief meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
It was a dramatic final chapter of a 12-year papacy that was defined by humility, compassion, and advocacy for the marginalized. Indeed, his meeting with Vance came after Francis had criticized the U.S. administration’s immigration policies as unjust, saying “deporting the desperate and turning away the weak contradicts the very essence of Christian charity.”
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But the end of his reign was also marked by the physical courage of the Argentine-born pope, who had been hospitalized several times over the past two years, including the most recent battle with a double pneumonia.
Though too weak to deliver the homily on Sunday, Francis devoted his final energy to wishing “Happy Easter” to the faithful and blessing several individuals. Less than 18 hours later, the Vatican announced the Pope was gone.
