The Vatican announced Pope Francis’ death on Monday, April 21, at 7:35am local time. The news sent shockwaves across the world and with everyone still waiting to see who his successor will be, the Vatican has announced his cause of death.
He died of a stroke that led to heart failure
The Vatican announced that Pope Francis died of a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse. This means he had a stroke that caused heart failure.
Pope Francis died aged 88. He had been head of the Catholic Church for 12 years.
He suffered a lot of health issues
As reason for his death, the Vatican also cited that Pope Frances was affected by a “previous episode of acute respiratory failure in bilateral multimicrobial pneumonia, multiple bronchiectasis, arterial hypertension and type II diabetes.”
The Pope had just come out of hospital
Pope Francis had suffered from a lot of health issues over the years, most recently when he was hospitalized for 38 days last month as he was being treated from double pneumonia.
When he died on Monday, it had been less than a month since he was discharged from the hospital.
He delivered an Easter address before his death
The late Pope, who passed on Easter Monday, delivered his yearly blessing for Easter just hours before his death through Cardinal Angelo Comastri, who led Mass at Saint Peter’s Square.
He had also met with US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday morning and surprised worshippers as he toured through the public at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Vatican wrote a statement following his passing
Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in a heartwarming statement released by the Vatican that the late Pope’s “entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church.”
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized.”
The statement was full of love
Cardinal Kevin Farrell 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 the One and Triune God.”
The late Pope was admitted into the hospital in February
Pope Francis was initially admitted to the hospital for bronchitis and ‘diagnostic tests’ on February 14, as shared by the Vatican.
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He later made his first public appearance after his hospitalization on March 23 where he addressed a crowd from his hospital balcony before being driven back to the Vatican.
He was in need of a lot of rest
According to the Associated Press, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who coordinated Francis’ medical team, said at the time of his discharge from the hospital that he would require at least two months of rest, and had advised that he avoid meeting in groups.
Pope Francis has now passed after 12 years of being head of the Catholic Church.