● Says he died of stroke and heart failure
A day after Easter Sunday, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 in prolonged illness. He was the first Latin American pontiff to lead the Roman Catholic Church after taking over from Pope Benedict XVI on March 13, 2013.
Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, made the official announcement.
According to the Vatican, he suffered a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and heart failure.
In his 12 years of papacy, he had suffered various ailments.
However, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announces a three-day State Mourning in India to pay respect to the late Pope Francis.
● Pope Francis requests simple burial in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.
Pope Francis wished to be buried in a “simple” tomb in the ground at Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, with only the inscription “Franciscus.”
He stated, “The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus.”
● Pope Francis’ spiritual testament revealed, outlining burial wishes
Pope Francis’ spiritual testament, dated June 29, 2022, has been made public, revealing his wishes for burial in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, as outlined in the document.
● The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis died due to a cerebral stroke
The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis died from a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure.
According to Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, the head of the Vatican’s health department, Francis also suffered from respiratory issues, bilateral pneumonia, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. He passed away on Monday at 7:35 a.m.
● Numerous celebrities express condolences for the late Pope Francis
Stars from around the world paid tribute to Pope Francis, with Eva Longoria saying, “Rest in Peace, Your Holiness Pope Francis. Thank you for being an ally to many of us and speaking up for the marginalized. Your compassion, kindness and humility will always be remembered.”
Whoopi Goldberg shared a photo from her 2023 meeting with Francis, calling him “the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and [non] believer.”
Russell Crowe simply wrote, “RIP Francis.”
● Trump weighs funeral attendance, calls Pope Francis “a very good man”
President Donald Trump isn’t sure if he’ll attend Pope Francis’ funeral, saying “I don’t know yet. We’re going to be briefed on it right now.” Despite previously being criticized by the Pope over his immigration policies, Trump expressed agreement with the pontiff’s message of tolerance, stating “Yeah, I do, I do. I really do.”
Trump praised Pope Francis, saying “He’s a very good man who loved the world. And he especially loved people that were having a hard time. And that’s good with me.” -CNN
■ Excerpted from: https://indianexpress.com/article/world/pope-francis-death-live-updates-vatican-funeral-roman-catholic-church-new-pontiff-9956544/
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