Posted on 04/21/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Pope Francis died Monday morning, Vatican camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Ferrell announced.
In his statement, Ferrell said: "At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church."
Francis assumed the papacy in 2013.
In February, Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital due to ongoing lung-related health concerns, including bronchitis followed by pneumonia, and in March, he experienced two episodes of "acute respiratory failure." Around the same time, he experienced an “isolated” breathing crisis that included vomiting, as reported by the Vatican.
On Sunday, for the first time since assuming the papacy, Pope Francis did not lead the Easter ceremony at the Vatican's St. Peter's Square, instead choosing to bless the crowd from a balcony.
Francis frequently condemned Israel for its response to the October 7 massacre, sparking backlash from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, which accused the Pope of reviving "the darkest patterns of Catholic Church history – patterns that for centuries transformed false accusations into violence against the Jewish people."