Pope Francis Dead At 88

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church for the past decade, died early Monday morning following a battle with multiple respiratory issues. He was 88 years old.

"At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced. Church doctrine calls for the pope to be buried four to six days after his death; the timing of Francis' funeral has yet to be announced.

The day before his passing, Pope Francis blessed those gathered in St. Peter's Square for Easter Mass; a week prior, he did same on Palm Sunday. Other recent public appearances included an Easter Sunday meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and a April 17 visitation with inmates at Regina Coeli, a prison near the Vatican.

Francis was first hospitalized in mid-February for a number of lung-related illnesses, including bronchitis and then pneumonia. He was placed on a breathing machine on Feb. 28, although he "remained alert and oriented at all times," according to the Vatican. (Francis also suffered from respiratory issues as a young man, nearly dying of pneumonia and having part of one lung removed.)

While praying for the pope at the time, Argentinian Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández said: "Certainly it is close to the Holy Father's heart that our prayers be not only for him, but also for all those who, in this particular dramatic and suffering moment of the world, bear the heavy burden of war, sickness, and poverty."

When Francis was discharged 38 days later, his doctor acknowledged, "It was a miracle that he left the hospital," but noted he was "not in danger."

Fifteen to 20 days after the papacy is vacated, the electors within College of Cardinals gather in private for a conclave to name the next pope.

Born and raised in Argentina, Pope Francis was the first pope ever from the Americas, and the first not born or raised in Europe since the 8th century. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1969 and made a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He became pope after Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013.