Pope Francis speaks during the weekly general audience at Paul-VI hall in The Vatican on February 5, 2025. Alberto Pizzoli, AFP(3rd UPDATE) Pope Francis, known and loved by Filipinos as “Lolo Kiko,” has passed away, the Vatican said Monday. He was 88.
The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli hospital before seeming to recover and leaving the facility on March 23.
His death came a day after making a much hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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’s death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance on the balcony at Saint Peter’s Basilica despite still convalescing after a severe illness.
Francis had come close to dying twice earlier this year while suffering from pneumonia.
He spent 38 days in hospital before he was released on March 23.
On Sunday he wished the crowds on Saint Peter’s Square a “Happy Easter” as he waved and in his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) benediction he called for freedom of thought and tolerance.
His death sets in motion centuries-old traditions that will culminate in the gathering of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor.
In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by the camerlengo, a senior cardinal, currently Dublin-born Kevin Farrell.
Francis’s desire to chart a different path was evident right to the end, with his decision to be buried not in St Peter’s Basilica but in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.
He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.
Francis also rejected the tradition of popes having three coffins, instead choosing to buried in just one, made of wood and zinc, to reflect his role as a humble pastor.
Throughout his 12 years as the 266th pope of the Catholic Church, Francis’s leadership has been centered on the theme of mercy.
He championed the welfare of refugees and other marginalized peoples. He also pushed for a more tolerant Catholic Church, including the LGBT community, and the divorced and remarried.
He also criticized economic policies that according to him aggravated poverty and inequality.
His declarations focusing on what he called “the peripheries” of society earned the ire of the conservative block, especially in the United States, accusing him of diluting the teachings of the Church.
Elected to the Chair of Saint Peter in 2013, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires in his native country of Argentina was one of the oldest popes in history.
Benedict XVI — his immediate predecessor, who resigned at the age of 85 due to declining health — died at 95. John Paul II, later declared a saint, died at 84. John Paul I passed away at 65 while Paul VI died at 80.
In 2022, Francis started using a wheelchair in his public appearances due to a painful torn ligament in his knee.
From time to time, the pontiff used a cane when walking. But since then, he was never seen atop the high altar of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome to celebrate the Holy Mass.
Instead, he presided over some parts of the liturgy from a platform on the side of the basilica and delegated cardinals to lead the rest of the Holy Mass at the altar.
Francis, who had part of his lung removed when he was young, has battled other health problems throughout his pontificate.
In 2023, he was hospitalized twice: first was due to a respiratory infection and second was to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia.
In November of that same year, he canceled a scheduled trip to Dubai due to a “very acute infectious bronchitis.”
During one of his travels as pope, he was asked by journalists if he was not afraid of going around without the security of a bulletproof popemobile
He famously answered: “At my age, I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the popemobile after the Easter mass, at St Peter’s square in the Vatican on April 20, 2025. Tiziana Fabi, AFPBorn as Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Italian immigrant parents, he was the eldest of five children.He worked as a bouncer in a club before graduating as a chemical technician and then choosing the path to priesthood.
In 1973, he made his final profession with the Jesuits and quickly became the Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina — a post he held for six years.
He was consecrated bishop in 1992 and ultimately became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. He was later created a cardinal by John Paul II in 2001.
He was said to be the runner-up during the conclave that elected Benedict XVI.
Francis, aside from being the first pope from the Americas, was also the first from the order of Jesuits and the first to take the name Francis, after the famous 13th-century saint Francis of Assisi.
Some of his apostolic journeys were the firsts in papal history, including visits to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Myanmar, and the French island of Cosico.
In 2015, Francis made a very emotional visit to the Philippines after the massive devastation caused by typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda).
He was the third pope to visit the Southeast Asian country after Paul VI and John Paul II.
He visited the Manila Cathedral and the pontifical University of Santo Tomas. He also met then President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañan.
In the typhoon-ravaged Tacloban, he held an outdoor Mass amid intense rains and wind brought by an approaching storm.
“I am here to be with you – a little bit late, but I’m here,” he said.
He was fondly called “Lolo Kiko” during his apostolic visit. “Lolo” in Tagalog means “grandpa” while “Kiko” is the localization of his papal name “Francis.”
Months after his trip, the pope seemed to reminisce about his visit, including the nickname he earned from Filipinos.
“When I was in the Philippines, the Filipino people greeted me saying ‘Lolo Kiko”’ — meaning Grandpa Francis — ‘Lolo Kiko, they said,” the pope said during his March 11, 2025 general audience at Saint Peter’s Square.
To conclude his visit, he held a Holy Mass at the historic Luneta Park, which was attended by around 6 to 7 million people — so far, the largest in history.
In his two decades of pontificate, he made over 40 international trips.
Francis created three Filipino cardinals: Cotabato Archbishop Emeritus Orlando Cardinal Quevedo; Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula; and Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David.
In 2019, the pope called Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to serve in the Roman Curia as prefect of then Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. At present, Tagle is the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
He wrote four encyclicals: Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith), which further elucidated the Christian faith; Laudato Si (Praise Be to You), which was about the care for the natural environment; Fratelli Tutti (All Brothers), which aimed to promoted fraternity and social friendship; and Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us), which sought to remind the faithful of God’s infinite love.
In one of his audiences in 2022, Pope Francis reflected on the topic of death.
“Dear brothers and sisters, it is only through faith in resurrection that we can face the abyss of death without being overwhelmed by fear,” he said.
“It is good to die reconciled, without grudges and without regrets! I would like to say one truth: We are all on our way towards that door, all of us.” — with Agence France-Presse
