On Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 in his residence at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta. Cardinal Kevin Farrell made the somber announcement, stating:
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With deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.
His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.
According to Vatican News, the Pope had been admitted to Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in February 2025 due to worsening bronchitis, which later developed into bilateral pneumonia.
After 38 days of hospital care, he returned to the Vatican, but his health continued to deteriorate. Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, confirmed that his funeral arrangements would be guided by a simplified liturgical rite that Francis had approved himself, reflecting his humble nature.
Francis had long dealt with respiratory issues. At just 21 years old, he was diagnosed with a severe lung infection that led to extreme fevers and a near-death state. Doctors found three cysts and were forced to surgically remove a part of his right lung. Though he recovered, this health crisis would define much of his later life, leaving him with a chronic pulmonary deficiency that he managed for decades. In the end, the Vatican announced that he passed away from a stroke and cardiac arrest.
All about Pope Francis
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The eldest of five children, he grew up in a close-knit family of Italian immigrants — his father Mario, a railway accountant, and his mother Regina, a homemaker dedicated to raising the family.
His sister Maria Elena, the only surviving sibling at the time of his election as Pope, revealed that she initially didn't want her brother to become the leader of the Catholic church. She said:
During the previous conclave, I was praying for him not to be elected…because I didn’t want my brother to leave.
It’s a position that was a little selfish.
However, eventually, her dedication to bother her faith and brother superseded everything. Despite her absence from his inauguration — following his request to donate instead — she remained supportive. She explained:
My brother asked us to save money and use it for charitable works. I'll do as he says
She also worried about the isolation he might face in his new role:
Let’s not leave him alone. Francis is asking the Church to resume its journey, but we the faithful must walk with him.
Beyond Maria, Francis was also connected to other relatives. His niece Cristina, an artist based in Madrid, commented in 2018:
I do not see him anymore, not because I don’t want to, but because I respect his job as a spiritual messenger very much.
His extended family, including nephews and cousins, have largely remained out of the public eye, honouring the Pope's wishes for privacy.
Pope Francis' life before he was elected
Pope Francis' life before he dedicated his life to his faith was vastly different. He first graduated as a chemical technician and worked as a janitor and lab technician. From 1964 to 1965, he taught literature and psychology at Immaculate Conception College in Santa Fé, followed by a similar teaching role in 1966 at the Colegio del Salvatore in Buenos Aires. He even revealed that he worked as a nightclub bouncer once, though he kept most of the details of this surprising job to himself.
He was very involved in academia and that continued with his studies in theological education. He began studies in the humanities in Chile before returning to Argentina in 1963 to earn a degree in philosophy from the Colegio de San José in San Miguel. From 1967 to 1970, he studied theology at the same college and obtained his degree. He was ordained a priest in December 1969.
Bergoglio's leadership qualities became evident when he was appointed Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina from 1973 to 1979. He later served as Rector of the Colegio de San José and as a parish priest. In the 1980s, he completed doctoral studies in Germany before returning to Argentina, where he became spiritual director at the Jesuit Church in Córdoba.
His ecclesiastical climb accelerated in the 1990s: he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop in 1992, Archbishop in 1998, and made a Cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. His work consistently championed social justice and community support, even as he rose in stature.
Bergoglio’s journey into priesthood wasn’t always clear-cut and he didn't set out to be a religious leader from the get-go.
The turning point: Why he chose the priesthood
One day, while walking with friends, he passed the Basilica of San José de Flores — a place tied to his childhood. Suddenly, he felt compelled to go inside. He recalled:
I felt like somebody grabbed me from inside and took me to the confessional. I'm not sure what happened there, clearly I must have confessed, but I don't know what happened. ... While I was there I felt that I had to become a priest, and I didn't doubt it.
The final nudge came through hardship. At age 21, he suffered from a dangerous lung infection and underwent major surgery. Biographers Sergio Rubin and Francesca Ambrogetti wrote, as per Grunge:
Since then, he's dealt with a pulmonary deficiency that, while it doesn't limit him seriously, it marks a human limit. Surely, that episode strengthened his understanding of what's really important in life.
Read more:
Pope Francis: Does the leader of the catholic church earn a salary?
Pope Francis breaks major tradition as he is set to turn 87, here are his surprising funeral plans
Pope Francis and Cardinal Burke: Everything you need to know about their bitter feud
Sources used:
Vatican.va: Biography of the Holy Father Francis
Vatican News: Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday aged 88
Town & Country Magazine: A Guide to Pope Francis’s Family
Grunge: The Real Reason Pope Francis Became A Priest
