When people ask "what date did the pope die," they’re usually looking for one of three specific men who have shaped the 21st century. It’s funny how we track time by these massive figures. For some, the world stopped in the spring of 2005. For others, it’s the quiet end of 2022. And more recently, the global Catholic community faced the passing of Pope Francis in April 2025.
History doesn't always move in a straight line. Sometimes a pope dies while in office, and sometimes they leave us as a "Pope Emeritus," a title that basically didn't exist in the modern mind until about a decade ago.
The Most Recent Loss: Pope Francis
Basically, if you are looking for the most recent date, Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025.
He was 88. It happened on Easter Monday, which feels almost scripted given how central Easter is to the faith. He passed away at 7:35 a.m. local time in his residence at the Domus Sanctae Marthae. If you followed his papacy, you know he shunned the fancy Apostolic Palace to live in that simpler guest house.
The cause was a cerebral stroke. He’d been struggling with bronchitis for a while—it kept him in the hospital for five weeks just before the end. Even so, he made it to his final Easter Sunday address the day before he died.
His funeral was held on April 26, 2025. One thing that really caught people off guard was his burial request. He didn't want to be under St. Peter’s Basilica like most popes. Instead, he chose the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. He had a deep, personal connection to that place, often visiting it before and after his international trips to pray before the icon of the Virgin Mary.
The Quiet End of Benedict XVI
Then there’s the man who broke the mold. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died on December 31, 2022.
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New Year's Eve.
He was 95 years old. His death was a weird moment for the Church because he wasn't the "reigning" pope. He had shocked the world by resigning back in 2013, the first to do so in nearly 600 years. Because of that, his death created a bizarre situation where the sitting Pope (Francis) actually presided over the funeral of the former Pope.
Benedict’s last words were reported to be "Signore, ti amo" (Lord, I love you). He died at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, a quiet spot in the Vatican Gardens where he’d lived in near-seclusion for almost ten years. His funeral took place on January 5, 2023. Unlike Francis, he was buried in the Vatican Grottoes, in the same spot where John Paul II was originally laid before his canonization.
The Era-Defining Death of John Paul II
For a huge chunk of the population, "the" papal death will always be April 2, 2005.
That was Pope John Paul II.
If you were alive then, you probably remember the "Sesto" (the sixth) floor window of the Apostolic Palace. Thousands of people stood in St. Peter's Square for days, just watching that light. He died at 9:37 p.m. at the age of 84. He’d been suffering from Parkinson’s and other complications for years, and his decline was very public.
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His funeral on April 8, 2005, was arguably one of the largest gatherings of heads of state in history. People were chanting "Santo Subito!"—which basically translates to "Saint Now!" They got their wish; he was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014.
Modern Papal Deaths at a Glance
If you're just looking for a quick list of 20th and 21st-century dates, here they are. No fancy charts, just the facts:
- Pope Francis: Died April 21, 2025 (Cerebral stroke).
- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: Died December 31, 2022 (Old age/respiratory failure).
- Pope John Paul II: Died April 2, 2005 (Septic shock).
- Pope John Paul I: Died September 28, 1978 (Heart attack after only 33 days in office).
- Pope Paul VI: Died August 6, 1978 (Heart attack).
- Pope John XXIII: Died June 3, 1963 (Stomach cancer).
- Pope Pius XII: Died October 9, 1958 (Heart failure).
What Actually Happens Behind Closed Doors?
When a pope dies, things get real "Da Vinci Code" very quickly, though it's less about conspiracies and more about intense tradition.
The person in charge is the Camerlengo (the Chamberlain). For Pope Francis’s death, this was Cardinal Kevin Farrell. Historically, the Camerlengo would tap the Pope’s forehead three times with a silver hammer and call him by his birth name to see if he’d wake up. Nowadays, they mostly stick to medical professionals for the official declaration, but the "birth name" ritual still holds weight.
Why the birth name? Because the Papacy is an office. When you die, you aren't "the Pope" anymore; you're the man you were before the white cassock.
The Camerlengo also has to break the Fisherman’s Ring. This is the personal seal of the Pope. By smashing it, they ensure nobody can fake official documents during the "Sede Vacante"—the period when the seat is vacant. Then, they seal the papal apartments. Seriously, they put lead seals on the doors. This tradition started centuries ago to prevent looters from raiding the palace after a death.
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The Nine Days of Mourning
The Church enters a period called the Novemdiales. It’s nine days of official mourning. During this time, the College of Cardinals runs the day-to-day administrative stuff, but they can't make any big changes. No new laws, no new bishops, nothing. They are essentially a "caretaker" government.
The funeral usually happens between the fourth and sixth day after death. If the Pope died in Rome, he lies in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. Thousands—sometimes millions—of people wait in line for hours just to walk past the body for three seconds. It’s intense.
How to Find the Most Current Information
If you are researching this for a project or just out of curiosity, keep in mind that the Vatican’s official news outlet, Vatican News, is the gold standard for these dates.
Sometimes social media gets a bit ahead of itself. We've seen plenty of "death hoaxes" over the years, especially regarding Pope Francis when he was in the hospital for his lungs. Always wait for the official statement from the Holy See Press Office before believing a headline you see on a random TikTok.
Honestly, the best way to stay updated on the current state of the Papacy is to check the "Sede Vacante" status. If that term is being used in the news, it means the chair is empty and a death or resignation has occurred.
Actionable Insights for Researching Papal History
- Check the Name: If you're looking for a death date, make sure you know if the person was the reigning Pope or a "Pope Emeritus." It changes where you'll find the records.
- Use the Vatican Archives: For older popes (like the 1800s or earlier), the Vatican Library digitizes most of these records.
- Look for the Conclave Date: A fun trick to find a death date is to look up when the following Conclave started. Conclaves usually begin 15 to 20 days after the Pope dies.
- Verify the Calendar: Remember that the Vatican uses the Gregorian calendar, but for very ancient popes, dates can be "approximate" because record-keeping in 300 AD wasn't exactly digital.
If you're tracking the current leadership, the successor to Pope Francis is Pope Leo XIV, who was elected on May 8, 2025. He is the second Pope from the Americas, continuing a trend of looking toward the "Global South" for leadership.