There are times when the death of an individual may affect many people. There are also times when that death may affect millions or perhaps even billions. Pope Francis has been celebrating Easter, but the head of the Catholic Church made his final public appearance and passed away at the age of 88. He was the head of the Catholic Church and the Bishop of Rome.
Pope Francis became pope in 2013 after the resignation of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. The announcement of his death came by Cardinal Farrell as the Vatican shared a statement: “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.
“At 7.35am this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church. “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised. “With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”
Concern about the health of Pope Francis has been a topic of discussion recently. He had been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia after being admitted to the hospital for a lengthy stay on February 14. Numerous blood transfusions were given after tests showed he had low platelet levels, thought to be associated with anemia. On February 22, the Vatican revealed that Pope Francis was in critical condition associated with a ‘prolonged respiratory crisis’. He was treated with high levels of oxygen and the Vatican announced on the following day that the Pope was showing signs of ‘initial, mild’ kidney failure.
The Pope remained in the hospital for the remainder of February with a condition that doctors described as being ‘complex’.
On March 6, Pope Francis released an audio message: “I am with you from here.” In total, Pope Francis was in the hospital for 38 days and was released on March 23. His first public appearance after being released was made from the balcony at Gemelli. During the appearance, he waved and smiled at the crown and gave them an enthusiastic thumbs-up. He then returned for a planned month of recovery at the Vatican. It was thought, at the time, that the Pope would only require oral medication to treat fungal infection in his lungs as they felt the pneumonia was treated successfully. He also had to undergo physical and respiratory therapy.
Pope Francis was the first pope from South America. He was born in 1936 and as a young man, he had part of his lung removed. His birth name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio and before becoming pope, he was a bishop in Buenos Aires. Pope Francis was known for his views on those who suffered from poverty or suffered due to war. He focused on climate change and was an advocate for women in the Catholic Church. For those reasons, he was known as the ‘People’s Pope’.
On a flight from Brazil, he, at one time, spoke about gay clergy. He said: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge them?” In the past few years, Pope Francis did not do much public speaking because of his health struggles. He used a cane or wheelchair for mobility.