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Pope Francis, 88, died April 21, the Vatican announced. No cause of death was included in the statement. In February, after a bout with bronchitis, he had been hospitalized in Rome with what Vatican officials called a “complex clinical picture” that included a diagnosis of double pneumonia. Over recent years, he had suffered recurring respiratory infections, undergone colon and abdominal surgery, and experienced increasing mobility problems, requiring the use of a cane and wheelchair.
His death came after Francis, ignoring doctors’ orders to convalesce for two months and avoid large crowds, sought to continue his duties, making public appearances and holding private audiences before and during Easter. On Sunday, a day before his death, he met one-on-one with Vice President JD Vance and later funneled through a throng of 35,000 faithful in St. Peter’s Square in the popemobile.
Caption from article by Anthony Faiola.
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