The Vatican announces the death of Pope Francis. Here are some details.
POPE FRANCIS – The pontiff, who was Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church, died at the age of 88.
In the past months, news about the critical condition of Pope Francis emerged online. The Pope suffered “two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm.”
The Pope was hospitalized and confined for weeks.
Recently, as per the announcement from the Vatican, the beloved Pope who brought changes in many ways passed away. He was 88, and the whole world is grieving over his death.
The beloved ‘Lolo Kiko’ to Filipinos died a day following his highly hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, in the statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel, stated, “This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.”
He was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He had been the pope for 12 years, ascending to the head of the papacy on March 13, 2013. He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and worked as a bouncer and janitor before training as a chemist.
He joined the Jesuits in 1958 and jumped to the ranks of the church to become archbishop of Buenos Aires by 1998. In 2001, he was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II.
Following the Pope’s death, several names emerged as the Pope’s successor, including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. The 67-year-old cardinal is the seventh Filipino to become a cardinal.
In 2015, he visited the Philippines after the massive devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda. He was the third pope to visit Southeast Asian countries after Paul VI and John Paul II. During his visit, he went to the Manila Cathedral and the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas. He met then President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañang.
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