The news cycle moves so fast these days that it’s almost hard to remember the collective breath the world held back in April 2025. One minute we were watching the Easter Sunday celebrations, and the next, the "People’s Pope" was gone. Honestly, it felt sudden even though we all knew he had been struggling for a while. If you’re looking for the specifics on pope francis how did he die, the answer isn't a single event, but a culmination of a very long, very public battle with a body that just couldn't keep up with his spirit anymore.
He passed away at 88 years old. That’s a long life by any standard, especially for a man living with only part of one lung since his twenties.
The Final Hours at Casa Santa Marta
Unlike his predecessors who usually spent their final moments in the ornate Apostolic Palace, Francis died where he lived: the Domus Sanctae Marthae. He always hated the isolation of the palace. He wanted to be near people, even at the end.
On Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, things took a sharp turn. At around 5:30 in the morning, his health plummeted. His long-time nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti—the man Francis famously credited with saving his life during a previous surgery—was by his side. By 7:35 a.m., it was over.
The official cause of death released by the Vatican was a stroke, which led to a coma and subsequent irreversible cardiac arrest. It sounds clinical when you put it that way, but for those of us watching from the outside, it was the end of an era of "firsts." He was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, and the first to choose the name of the saint of the poor.
A History of Medical Hurdles
You’ve gotta look at the years leading up to 2025 to really understand why his body gave out. Francis wasn't just "getting old." He was dealing with a shopping list of chronic issues that would have sidelined most people a decade earlier.
- Respiratory Crisis: In February 2025, he was rushed to the Gemelli Polyclinic. What started as bronchitis turned into severe bilateral pneumonia (pneumonia in both lungs). He spent nearly six weeks in the hospital.
- The Lungs: Remember, he had a portion of his right lung removed in Argentina back in 1957. Every respiratory infection he caught was a gamble.
- Abdominal Issues: He had two major surgeries in 2021 and 2023 for intestinal issues and an abdominal hernia.
- Mobility: In his final years, he was almost exclusively using a wheelchair due to a torn ligament in his knee.
Even with all that, he refused to slow down. I remember seeing photos of him in early April 2025, just weeks before he died, visiting the tomb of St. Pius X in a wheelchair, hooked up to a nasal cannula for oxygen. He looked frail, sure, but he was still there. Still pushing.
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Why the Timing Mattered
There’s a bit of irony in the fact that he died right in the middle of the 2025 Jubilee Year. This was supposed to be his big "Holy Year of Hope." Instead, he became the first pope in history to open the Holy Door of St. Peter's but not live to close it.
That duty fell to his successor, Pope Leo XIV.
When people ask about pope francis how did he die, they are often also asking about the "Vatican mystery" side of things. Was there a cover-up? Did he actually resign? The answer is pretty boring: no. While rumors of a resignation (like Benedict XVI) swirled for years, Francis always said he’d only quit if he couldn't "discern" things clearly. He governed until the very last day, signing decrees from his hospital bed at Gemelli even in March 2025.
The Funeral and the Simple Casket
Francis had actually updated the funeral rites a year before he passed. He wanted a "pastor's funeral," not a "king's funeral." He ditched the three-layered casket tradition and opted for a simpler ceremony.
He was buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. This was a huge break from tradition—most popes are buried in St. Peter's. But he had a special devotion to the icon of Salus Populi Romani there. He went to pray before that icon 115 times during his papacy. It makes sense that he’d want to stay there.
What We Can Learn From His Final Days
Basically, Francis died the same way he lived: somewhat stubbornly and on his own terms. He didn't want the fancy palace; he stayed in his apartment. He didn't want the flashy funeral; he simplified it.
If you're following the Vatican's current trajectory under Pope Leo XIV, you'll see a lot of Francis's fingerprints. The focus on the "peripheries" and the poor hasn't gone away. If anything, the way he handled his decline—being open about his pain and his wheelchair—humanized the papacy in a way we hadn't seen before.
Key Takeaways for Future Reference:
- Monitor Official Sources: When a major figure like a Pope passes, the Vatican Press Office (Sala Stampa) is the only definitive source for the "why" and "how."
- Legacy Over Logistics: While the cause of death was a stroke, the conversation quickly shifted to his 12 years of reform.
- The "Leo XIV" Factor: Since the 2025 conclave, the church has moved into a new phase, but the documents Francis signed during his final hospitalization continue to shape policy today.
To get a better sense of how the Church has changed since his passing, you should look into the recent decrees issued by Pope Leo XIV for the 2026 Franciscan Jubilee, which honors the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi—the very saint Jorge Bergoglio chose to emulate when he first became Pope Francis.