Breaking: Pope Francis Dies Aged 88 Hours After Easter Sunday Appearance
Pope Francis has died. He was 88 years old and served for 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church.
Elected as the 266th Pope back on 13th March 2013, he was the first pontiff from Latin America and was also the first to take the name Francis, quickly making his mark as a “maverick” within the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17th December 1936, was also the first pope born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century papacy of the Syrian pope Gregory III.
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Last month, he was rushed to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital suffering with double pneumonia, with doctors telling him “in no uncertain terms he was at risk of dying” if he stayed at the Vatican. With his being of particular concern because he had part of his lung removed many years ago, Pope Francis told confidants he “may not survive” pneumonia, and in a couple of days, reports started coming out that the Swiss Guard was “preparing for the pontiff’s death”, with several members under a curfew as his funeral was allegedly already “being rehearsed”. He spent a total of five weeks in hospital recovering from the illness, before eventually being discharged from hospital.
Just yesterday, the pontiff made a brief but celebrated appearance at the Easter Sunday mass at the Vatican, weakly wishing thousands of worshippers a happy Easter and calling for the end to all wars.
Rest In Peace.
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