Pope Francis passed away on Monday at the age of 88, just one day after making a widely anticipated appearance in Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, according to an official statement released by the Vatican.
“At 7:35 am (0535 GMT), the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” stated Cardinal Kevin Farrell in the announcement shared on the Vatican’s Telegram channel.
On Sunday, Pope Francis appeared before thousands of Catholic worshippers in St Peter’s Square for Easter celebrations, despite his declining health, which had prevented him from attending the majority of Holy Week observances.
From his wheelchair, the Argentine pope softly greeted the crowd with “Happy Easter” from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, drawing joy and appreciation from tens of thousands gathered in the square, adorned with flowers.
While the pope customarily delivers his “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) Easter message from the same balcony, this year he delegated the role to a colleague due to his frailty.
The statement, delivered on his behalf, expressed concern over rising anti-Semitism and strongly criticised the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, describing them as both “worrisome” and “deplorable.”
