Inside Pope's final hours blessing Easter crowds before his death aged 88 (2025)

THE Pope has died aged 88 - a day after making a much hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter's Square on Easter Sunday.

Pope Francis emerged yesterday to wish a crowd of tens of thousands a "Happy Easter" in an open-air popemobile.

"Viva il Papa! (Long live the pope), Bravo," the crowd shouted as Francis looped through the square and then up and down the main avenue leading to it.

He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him.

"Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter," Francis said.

Francis didn't celebrate the Easter Mass in the piazza, delegating it to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica.

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But after the Mass ended, Francis appeared on the loggia balcony over the basilica entrance for more than 20 minutes and imparted the apostolic blessing in Latin.

The crowd of people below, estimated by the Vatican to be more than 35,000, erupted in cheers as a military band kicked off rounds of the Holy See anthem.

In all, Francis was outside on a sunny spring day for around 50 minutes with temperatures at 21°C.

US Vice President JD Vance also met briefly with Pope Francis on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings.

Francis received Vance in one of the reception rooms of the Vatican hotel, where he lives.

He offered the Catholic vice president three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance's three young children, who did not attend, as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries.

"I know you have not been feeling great, but it's good to see you in better health," Vance told the Pope. "Thank you for seeing me."

Vance's motorcade entered Vatican City through a side gate while Easter Mass was being celebrated in St. Peter's Square.

The Vatican said they met for a few minutes at the Domus Santa Marta to exchange Easter greetings.

Vance's office said the vice president expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for inviting him to meet on Easter Sunday and for the hospitality the Vatican has extended to his family.

"I pray for you every day," Vance said as he bid Francis farewell. "God bless you."

In all, Vance's motorcade was on Vatican territory for 17 minutes.

Pope Francis'tragic death has plunged 1.4 billion Catholics across the globe into mourning.

"Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in the statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.

"This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT), the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.

"His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church."

Francis had come close to dying twice earlier this year while suffering from pneumonia.

He spent 38 days in the hospital before he was released on March 23.

His condition appeared to worsen as doctors had to change treatment for the Pope's respiratory tract infection due to a "complex clinical situation".

And it was then confirmed he was suffering from double pneumonia after undergoing an X-ray.

The 88-year-old underwent blood transfusions and was described as being in a "critical" condition.

The Vatican said at the time that "the prognosis is reserved".

Two people close to thepontiff claimed Francis told them he "might not make it this time" while he was diagnosed with severe lung disease, according toa report by Politico.

Despite battling pneumonia, it is believed that the Pope may have died from a cerebral haemorrhage, caused possibly by a stroke, according to reports by local news outlets Republica and La Stampa.

The pontiff's official cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but Vatican sources say it may be revealed this evening.

TRIBUTES POUR IN

Emotionaltributes are pouring in for the pontiff from across the world.

President Donald Trump wrote on The Truth Social: "Rest in Peace, Pope Francis! May God bless him and all who loved him!"

King Charlessaid he was "deeply saddened" to hear of the death of Pope Francis.

Sir Keir Starmer also paid tribute to the pontiff, saying: "Deeply saddened to hear the death of His Holiness Pope Francis.

"His tireless efforts to promote a world thatis fairer for allwill leave a lasting legacy.

"On behalf of the people of the United Kingdom, I share my sincerest condolences to the whole Catholic Church."

The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, paid tribute to Pope Francis, saying: “A voice proclaiming the innate dignity of every human being, especially those who are poor or marginalised, is now silent.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said that throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis had always sided with the most vulnerable and the most fragile, and that he did this with a lot of humility.

"In this time of war and brutality, he had a sense for the other, for the most fragile," Macron told reporters.

Dutch PM Dick Schoof said: "Pope Francis was in every way a man of the people, the clobal catholic community bids farewell to a leader who recognised the burning issues of our day and called attention to them."

Meanwhile, tyrant Vladimir Putin said: "I had the privilege of communicating with this outstanding man on many occasions, and I will forever retain the fondest memory of him."

HEALTH BATTLES

Francis, who has led the Catholic Church since 2013, has ahistoryof lung problems, having had part of one lung removed due to pleurisy as a young man.

He has been hospitalised three times since becoming Pope in 2013.

In 2023, he spent three days at the Gemelli hospital, which has a special suite for treating popes, for an acute case of pneumonia.

The pontiff was rushed to the hospital on 29 March, 2023, after he felt a sharp pain in his chest and experienced breathing difficulties.

He also spent nine days in the hospital, just a few months later, for abdominal surgery.

This saw doctors remove scar tissue and repair an abdominal hernia.

The Pope also had a piece of his large intestine removed in 2021 and spent 10 days in the Gemelli hospital.

'REFORMER' POPE

Pope Francis made history when he became the first leader of the Catholic Church from the Americas.

The 76-year-old Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was given his new name after he was elected to succeed Pope Benedict XVI on 13 March, 2013.

He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 December, 1936, to Italian immigrants.

The Argentine had worked as a bouncer before turning to the priesthood after recovering from pneumonia back in 1958.

Francis was ordained a priest on 13 December 1969 and trained in Spain for a year before moving back to Argentina.

Francis took over the role of Pope in 2014, and was seen as an outspoken moderniser, reformist and progressive.

He had championed the decriminalisation of homosexuality, warned against threats to democracy, and supported the cause of refugees.

When he became the Pope, he shunned a grand papal apartment and chose to live in a modest two-room residence.

GAME OF THRONES

Following the death of Pope Francis on the morning of Easter Monday,attention has now turned to the question of his successor.

His successor will beselected by a Conclave in an ancient and secretprocess that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years.

The role of head of the Catholic Church is taken on by an elected senior cardinal usuallyuntil their deathwhich is announced via ancient smoke signals.

First, thedeath of the Popehas to be confirmed by a medic, their passing is only made official by the camerlengo, the Pope’s Chief of Staff.

They call out the Pope's birth name three times and usually taps the Pontiff's head with a silver hammer.

If these calls and actions go unanswered, the death is declared and senior church officials, notably the Cardinal Vicar of the Diocese ofRome, are informed.

The public will hear of the Pontiff's death by seeing black smoke known as fumata nera emerge from a chimney in the Sistine Chapel.

The Pope's ring, the Ring of the Fisherman, is also burned after being removed and crushed by the camerlengo, who will have also locked the pontiff's apartment, desk, and cut off his telephone wires.

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The decision of the sacred Conclave will later be revealed through the smoke of the chimney.

But first, there is a period of mourning during which the Papal Vacancy is announced by the Vatican, known as the Sede Vacante or "the seat is vacant".