On the death of Pope Francis: The last hours in the life of the Pontifex

Pope Francis died early Easter Monday at the age of 88. A few hours earlier, the Pontifex, which was difficult to health, had shown itself to the public – apparently on the way of improvement. The news of his sudden death came all the more surprising. Despite his long phase of illness, Francis had performed more publicly around Easter. His last path had led him back to the believers.

Previously, he was only able to leave the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on March 23, in which he was treated for more than a month because of a pneumonia on both sides. In the meantime, the head of the Catholic Church had to be artificially ventilated, and its condition was considered extremely critical. The return to its Vatican rooms was interpreted as a great glimmer of hope at the end of March – even if the recovery process was not yet completed.

At the beginning of April, Francis spontaneously surprised with an unplanned visit to St. Peter’s Basilica. In unusually simple clothing – sweatshirt, black trousers, simple cloak – he spoke to visitors there. Despite his weakened condition, he looked mentally present. Many rated his appearance as a sign that he could participate in the upcoming Easter celebrations.

Shortly afterwards, his path led him to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – a place that grew particularly to his heart during his pontificate in the early Christian Marienkirche from the 5th century. Here he will also find his final resting place – not, like many of his predecessors, in St. Peter’s Basilica.

On Maundy Thursday, Francis visited prisoners in the Roman correctional facility Regina Coeli. Unlike in previous years, however, he waived the symbolic foot washing – his state of health no longer allowed this. The Pope spent the Good Friday in silence and was represented at the traditional Way of the Cross on the Colosseum.

Francis hardly appeared publicly on Holy Saturday. He waived the fair on Easter night, but previously went to St. Peter’s Basilica for a still prayer. On Easter Sunday he collected all his strength one last time: tens of thousands on St. Peter’s Square he donated the festive blessing “Urbi et Orbi”. His voice was already weak, large parts of the Easter message were read out by a representative.

The Pope also showed himself in the papamobile on St. Peter’s Square and was celebrated by the crowd. Previously, on Easter Sunday at 11:30 a.m., he had already received the US Vice President JD Vance (40) for a short private audience – his last official state guest.

According to a report by the Italian newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, Francis woke up at around 6 a.m. on the morning of Easter Monday and initially felt comfortable. An hour later, however, he complained about discomfort, and a little later he fell into a coma. His death was finally found at 7:35 a.m.

The same evening, the Vatican published the official death certificate of Pope Francis. The cause of death: stroke, coma and irreversible cardiovascular failure. The head of the Vatican Health Authority, Andrea Arcangeli, signed the document. A little later, his body was laid out in an open coffin in a private chapel in the Vatican. The Vatican published the first pictures of it on Tuesday morning.

Shortly afterwards, the Vatican announced that Francis would be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday in order to give the believers the opportunity to say goodbye. The solemn funeral ceremony will be scheduled for next Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. on St. Peter’s Square. Subsequently, Pope Francis – according to his last wish – will find his final resting place in his beloved basilica Santa Maria Maggiore in the middle of Rome.