Vatican City — The Pope Francis death cause has been officially confirmed as a cerebral stroke combined with irreversible heart failure, according to a statement released by Vatican physician Andrea Arcangeli on Monday. The 88-year-old pontiff fell into a coma before passing at 7:35 a.m. in his Vatican residence.
The announcement comes just one day after Pope Francis made his final public appearance, riding through St Peter’s Square in an open-top popemobile to greet Easter worshippers. His sudden decline has prompted a global wave of mourning and reflection.
The death certificate revealed not only the stroke and heart failure but also other chronic conditions: arterial hypertension, bronchiectasis, and type 2 diabetes—some of which had not been publicly disclosed during his lifetime.
Pope Francis had been hospitalized earlier this year for nearly 40 days due to double pneumonia. Though he was discharged in late March and returned to the Vatican, his health remained fragile.
His spiritual testament, written in 2022, requested a simple burial in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome. The document reflects his lifelong commitment to humility, stating he wished to be buried “in the ground, without particular decoration,” with only his papal name Franciscus inscribed in Latin.
Following his death, the Vatican entered a nine-day mourning period known as Novendiale. His body will be placed in St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing before the conclave begins to elect the next pope.
The Pope Francis death cause not only marks the end of a papacy but begins a pivotal moment for the Catholic Church as the College of Cardinals prepares to choose its new leader in the coming weeks.
