Following a prolonged battle with double pneumonia and extended hospital stays, Pope Francis passed away on April 21 at the age of 88. The Vatican News announced that the head of the Catholic Church died at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta early in the morning. “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, in the Vatican News’ official announcement.
The pope’s death comes less than a day after he surprised the public on Easter Sunday by making a rare public appearance from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to give his traditional Easter blessing. Despite severe respiratory issues that left him unable to speak at length or move easily, he greeted the crowd with a faint but heartfelt, “Brothers and Sisters, Happy Easter.” As the pope sat silently, an aide read the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on his behalf, addressed to the “city [of Rome] and to the World.”
In his blessing, Pope Francis discussed extensively about the growing violence and hatred spreading across the world. “What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of our world!” Pope Francis wrote. “How much violence we see, often even within families, directed at women and children! How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants!”
The Pope’s blessing was given just hours after he held a private meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance to exchange Easter greetings. Pope Francis, along with several Vatican officials, have been critical of several of the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, including his plans to deport millions of U.S. migrants and to make widespread cuts to foreign aid. While the pope has openly referred to Trump’s deportation policy as a “disgrace,” Vance has cited medieval Catholic theology to justify the crackdown.
The blessing made reference to recent humanitarian crises, including the violent ongoing war between Israel and Palestine. At the same time, the pope urged the public to pray for communities within nations still gripped by violent conflict, including Lebanon, Syria, and Ukraine.
Pope Francis’ call for peace over violence is directly in line with his legacy as one of the Catholic Church’s most progressive and welcoming leaders. His tenure as pope has been marked by an unprecedented outreach to the LGBTQ community, calling for priests to bless same-sex marriages and extend Vatican invitations to members of the transgender community.
Amid global unrest, Pope Francis’ final Easter message stands as a clear reminder that peace always remains within reach. “May the principle of humanity never fail to be the hallmark of our daily actions,” he wrote. “In the face of the cruelty of conflicts…we cannot allow ourselves to forget that it is not targets that are struck, but persons, each possessed of a soul and human dignity.”
