Pope Francis Has Died: Cause of Death, Burial Location, Funeral and Other Fresh Updates Emerge
- Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88—just a day after delivering his final Easter message calling for peace in Gaza
- The Vatican has begun the traditional nine-day mourning period known as Novendiale, with global preparations for his funeral, burial, and the eventual election of a new pope
- Francis, the first Latin American pope and a reformist, chose to be buried in a single wooden and zinc coffin, breaking from centuries of papal tradition
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Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
Pope Francis on Monday, April 21, 2025, reportedly died at the age of 88.
The Vatican announced his death came one day after a brief appearance to thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Vatican’s open-air Easter Sunday mass.
Source: Getty Images
Here is more about Pope Francis, and what happens now:
Who was Pope Francis?
He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936.
He later chose Francis as his name to honour Saint Francis of Assisi.
According to reports, Francis was declared pope on March 13, 2013, becoming the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics after his predecessor, Benedict XVI, became the first pope to resign in 600 years.
What was the cause of the Pope’s death?
Source: Getty Images
Legit.ng earlier reported that Pope Francis was hospitalised for three weeks due to double pneumonia. He was said to have received respiratory therapy but showed limited signs of improvement.
He was admitted to hospital in Rome on February 14, 2025, for bronchitis, which he had been diagnosed with eight days prior but he continued to preside over general audiences and an outdoor mass.
He was released on March 23, 2025, with expectations that he would resume his duties gradually.
What to know about the funeral, the burial and the next days?
Reports disclosed that the pope’s passing marks the beginning of nine days of mourning called the Novendiale.
His body will be dressed in papal vestments and placed in St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. Hundreds and thousands of people line up to pay their respects.
Here is what typically happens after a pope passes away.
Location and timing
The funeral will likely take place in St Peter’s Square, with a service led by the dean of the College of Cardinals. The current dean is Giovanni Battista Re, 91.
Who attends?
Dignitaries from all over the world attend the funeral mass for the pontiffs.
Funeral mass
For the funeral, daily prayer services and requiem masses will be held in Catholic churches worldwide and at St Peter’s Basilica.
Burial
The burial typically takes place four to six days after the death.
Previous popes have been buried in three coffins, cypress, lead and elm, placed one inside the other.
However, Legit.ng reported that Pope Francis once said a wooden casket would surface after his death, and the time they were to bury him.
The Vatican said that the late Francis will forego a centuries-old.
Francis wishes to be buried in one coffin made of wood and zinc. Francis’s predecessor was also buried with a paper scroll, or a rogito, which retells their life and papacy.
Francis told an interview in 2023 that he wants to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome’s Esquilino.
The election of the new pope
After the death of a pope, the Vatican enters a transitional period called the sede vacante or interregnum, where power is handed over to the College of Cardinals, but no major decisions are made until the papacy is filled.
The cardinals are also reportedly summoned to a meeting at the Vatican, followed by the conclave, as the election is known.
During the time between the Pope's death and the election of his successor, the College of Cardinals governs the Church.
About 15-20 days after the pope’s death, cardinals under the age of 80 convene at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, which is sealed off, to elect the new pontiff through a secret ballot.
Voting takes place in up to four rounds a day until a candidate wins two-thirds of the vote. If there is no decision after 33 rounds of voting, the top two candidates face off in a run-off vote.
Ballots are burned, and for every unsuccessful vote, black smoke is released from the Sistine Chapel.
Once the next pope is successfully elected, white smoke emerges from the chapel.
Read more about Pope Francis' death here:
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African cardinals who may become the next pope
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta within Vatican City, sending shockwaves across the globe.
Just a day before his death, the Pontiff made a public appearance during Easter Sunday celebrations at St. Peter’s Square after surviving double pneumonia.
Two African Cardinals, Peter Turkson of Ghana and Fridolin Ambongo Besungo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo—have emerged as top contenders to succeed the late pontiff.
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Source: Legit.ng
