Posted on Monday, April 21, 2025
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by Alan Jamison
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0 Comments
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The Vatican announced that Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died early Monday morning at 88 years old.
Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina. In 2013, he became the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to hold the position. He was elected after Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years.
Francis had been dealing with numerous health issues in recent months. He was hospitalized on February 14 for several weeks for bronchitis, but was then diagnosed with pneumonia in both of his lungs. He was eventually released from the hospital on March 23 and was thought to be making a recovery.
Vice President JD Vance visited Pope Francis on Easter shortly before his death. Vance said that it was “an honor to meet with Pope Francis” at the time.
“I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” Vance, who recently converted to Catholicism, posted on X. “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul.”
President Donald Trump also offered his condolences to Pope Francis and his supporters. “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!” the President posted on Truth Social.
The White House shared photos of both Trump and Vance with the pope on X with the message, “Rest in Peace, Pope Francis.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also joined Fox News to discuss the pope’s death. “And so, it’s a solemn day for Catholics around the world, and we are praying for all those who love the pope and believed in him,” she said.
An official cause of death has not been provided yet. Dr. Marc Siegel explained on Fox News that Pope Francis may have suffered from a “respiratory failure event” that led to his death.
“What I heard from inside sources… I heard that there was a respiratory failure event this morning, Rome time, in the morning. 5 to 7 am, where he was unable to catch his breath,” Siegel explained. “We don’t know what caused that. It was likely due to another asthma-type event like he had in the hospital.”
Francis took a number of controversial stances during his tenure that angered some conservative Catholics, including approving blessings for same sex couples and criticizing President Trump’s deportation policies. Axios noted Monday that Francis will be remembered for having “advanced several progressive causes within the Catholic Church from immigrant and LGBTQ+ rights to climate change and technology ethics.”
The Catholic Church’s top bishops, known as the College of Cardinals, will gather and vote for the next pope. The election is known as a “Papal Conclave” and involves the cardinals remaining in isolation from the outside world until a new pope is chosen. These cardinals work quickly to ensure the church is not left without a leader for too long.
Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.
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