VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis died at the age of 88 Monday morning, Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, announced.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,″ Farrell said in the announcement.
Pope Francis greeted crowds on Sunday, giving the traditional Easter blessing. He appeared from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after a brief meeting with Vice President JD Vance.
The pope was recently released from the hospital after complications from pneumonia in both lungs.
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalized," the announcement continued. “With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite, merciful love of God, One and Tribune.″
Francis was born in Argentina in 1936 as Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
He entered Jesuit school in 1958, and after rising through the ranks — becoming a priest, then the archbishop of Buenos Aires, and finally a cardinal — he became the first Latin American and the first Jesuit pope. He chose his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the poor — a name he strove to embody throughout his papacy.
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