Pope Francis appears on the central lodge of St. Peter's Basilica to bestow the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. Francis died Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican said Pope Francis, who died Monday at the age of 88, suffered a stroke which led to a coma and his heart to fail, as he recovered from a five-week hospitalization for double pneumonia.

It also said the pope had decreed that he will be buried in St. Mary Major Basilica in a simple underground tomb. The basilica is home to Francis' favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.

The Vatican has begun a Rosary prayer in St. Peter's Square in its first public commemoration following Pope Francis' death. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, led the prayer as the sun set.

The first reading was delivered by Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Vatican City State and one of the highest-ranking women at the Vatican. Her appointment was a sign of Francis' insistence that women be given more prominent, decision-making roles.

History's first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.

Francis recently returned to the Vatican after 38 days in a hospital for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter's Square. The next pope is yet to be decided.

Cardinals have taken their first decisions following the death of Pope Francis, setting Saturday as the date for his funeral and allowing ordinary faithful to begin paying their final respects starting Wednesday, when his casket is brought into St. Peter's Basilica.

The cardinals met for the first time Tuesday in the Vatican's synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis' successor.

The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.

Francis' coffin will be moved from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived to St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing. In a change ordered by Francis, the pope's body will no longer be placed on an elevated bier in the basilica. Rather, the wooden coffin will be placed facing the pews.

The pope's apartment is sealed 

Closing up the pope's formal apartment at the Apostolic Palace is a key part of Catholic tradition after the death of a pope. Officials draped a red ribbon through the door handles on Monday afternoon, then poured liquid wax on the bow and impressed Francis' papal seal on the wax to hold the knot.

It wasn't immediately clear if church leaders also closed off Francis' other apartment in the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis had chosen to live since his 2013 election. The hotel is for visiting priests and guests, as well as a residence for some priests who work at the Vatican.

Church bells ring

Churches in the Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, rang their bells to mourn Francis. He visited in 2015 to console survivors of Typhoon Haiyan and celebrate Mass before millions in Manila.

"Pope Francis showed us what it means to suffer with others and find hope in the midst of pain," Manila Archbishop Jose Advincula said. 

President Marcos said "his humility brought many back to the fold of the church."

The canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, has been postponed, the Vatican announced. It had been planned for Sunday. Acutis, an Italian teen, died of acute leukemia at age 15 in 2006.

Special Masses, prayers

The Philippine Church is paying tribute to the late Pope Francis through special Masses and prayers, following an instruction from the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

“Let us please offer Masses in our communities for the eternal repose of the soul of the Holy Father, Pope Francis,” Kalookan bishop and CBCP president Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” Cardinal David said in a social media post.

He instructed priests nationwide to include an intention for the Pope in the Prayer of the Faithful and to use Easter prayers and readings during the octave. 

Cardinal David also gave specific guidance on modifying the Eucharistic Prayer to honor the late pontiff:

“Remember your servant, Pope FRANCIS, whom you have called from this world to yourself. Grant that he, who was united with your Son in a death like his, may also be one with him in his Resurrection.”

A Filipino version was also provided for use in local-language Masses.

The Catholic faithful are encouraged to participate by lighting candles and offering a prayer for the Pope’s eternal rest.

Cardinal David, along with Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula, is set to travel to Rome to attend the Pope’s funeral. 

They will join Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the highest-ranking Filipino in the Vatican Curia.

The CBCP urged Filipino Catholics to carry forward the legacy of Pope Francis by embracing his vision of a Church rooted in mercy, compassion, and synodality.

Cardinal David expressed sorrow over the Pope’s passing and called on the faithful to embody his vision of a Church that listens, walks humbly, and brings mercy to the world.

“With deep sorrow, yet with profound gratitude, we mourn the passing of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis,” David said.

David praised Pope Francis’ consistent efforts to bring the church to the margins of society, describing him as “a shepherd who walked with his people, often choosing the dusty road toward the peripheries rather than the comfort of the center.”

He also cited documents, such as Evangelii Gaudium and Fratelli Tutti, as key expressions of Pope Francis’ call to awaken the Church’s social conscience, along with his contributions to environmental justice through Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum.

David also recalled how the Pope affectionately referred to overseas Filipino migrant workers as “contrabandistas de la fe” (smugglers of the faith), reminding the faithful that “the witness of simple, faithful lives can cross borders and touch hearts where formal missionaries cannot go.”

He reiterated that Pope Francis’ vision of a “Missionary Synodal Church” should be more than an idea but must be lived out in the daily faith of Filipino Catholics in their families, parishes, and communities.

“Pope Francis has now returned to the Father, but his legacy as a supreme pontiff—that is, as bridge-builder—will never be forgotten by the Church,” he said.

VP Sara 

Describing Pope Francis as the “shepherd” who taught the faithful to be “compassionate” and “forgiving,” Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, April 22, mourned the passing of the 88-year-old pontiff.

“We pray as we mourn the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis, the shepherd who taught us to be compassionate, forgiving, and merciful in a world poisoned by social inequities, greed, hate and wars,” she said in a statement.

The Pope, she added, “led the Roman Catholics with humility, dedication, and faith as a disciple of God.”

“May we find strength and continue to live with the aspirations left by His Holiness as a man with the mission to bring the Gospel to the faithful, especially the poor, the sick, and the dying,” Duterte said as she called on everyone to pray for the Holy Father’s eternal repose.

UST remembers 'Lolo Kiko'

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) joined the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis and reflected on his historic 2015 visit—highlighting his enduring legacy of mercy, humility, and inclusivity that continues to inspire the Thomasian community and beyond.

In a statement, UST expressed its “deep sorrow and profound reverence” as it joined the Universal Church and the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis — fondly called “Lolo Kiko” by Filipinos.

“May the soul of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis, our Lolo Kiko, rest in the peace of Christ, whom he faithfully served,” UST said, as it enjoined the entire community to “continue to uphold his legacy of faith, hope, and love in our lives and mission as Thomasians.”

On January 18, 2015, Pope Francis visited UST and asked for the Lord’s blessing “for all those who work for a culture of encounter” on the campus.

“The Pontiff met with religious leaders of various faith groups and the youth of the Catholic Church in what will remain a historic moment in our history as a university

Eiffel Tower goes dark 

With clouds descending over the last glimmer of the setting sun, the Paris monument extinguished its sparkling lights for a moment of memory.

Bells tolled across predominantly Catholic France when the pope's death was announced, including at the recently restored Notre Dame Cathedral. Grieving Catholic believers and tourists paid respects as the cathedral held special Easter Monday services.

Notre Dame rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas recalled how Francis was "the pope of the poor. He is the one who invited us to live the Gospel in its radical form."

Trump plans to attend the pope's funeral

"Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!" Trump said on social media.

A 'remarkable life'

Bill and Hillary Clinton celebrated Pope Francis' "remarkable life and legacy promoting peace, economic inclusion, and social justice and fighting climate change."

The former U.S. president and secretary of state said Francis' pontificate was "extraordinary," recalling his endeavor "to embrace the entire world" — including people of different faiths, those not always welcomed in the church, and anyone struggling.

"By his own example, he taught that every human being's personal search —- even a pope's — for a purposeful life was meaningful and important, and that power and politics must always make room for compassion and coexistence," they said in a joint statement.

Messi mourns 

Global soccer star Lionel Messi expressed his appreciation for Pope Francis, thanking the pontiff "for making the world a better place."

In his Instagram post, the Argentine national team captain called Pope Francis a "different kind of pope, approachable, Argentine."

Putin says timing of the death was 'a special sign'

Russian President Vladimir Putin in televised remarks noted that the pope died immediately after Easter, suggesting that "this is a special sign that the person has lived their life not in vain and has done a lot of good." Putin said Russians will always remember his "highly positive attitude to Russia." Earlier, he said the pope encouraged the development of a dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches.

'We are a bit orphaned'

The archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Ignacio Garcia Cuerva, has told journalists that "we are a bit orphaned." He also said the Argentine Francis was famous for asking people to pray for him. "Then he would say, 'And if you don't have faith? Still, send good vibes my way.'"

The archbishop said it couldn't have been easy for Francis to learn to be a "father to the world."

In Francis' hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentines gathered for Mass. Some cried. "I think he was a rebel. He may have been contradictory, but that was nice, too," said worshiper Catalina Favaro.

Bishop Jorge García Cuerva told those gathered that "the pope of everyone has died. The pope of all humanity who insisted one and a thousand times that there must be room for everyone."

The pope's beloved soccer team — Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, who nickname is "The Saints" — wrote "Goodbye, Holy Father" on its website. The team won the national championship in 2013, the year Francis was elected pope.

Biden and the Obamas remember

Former U.S. President Joe Biden says Francis was "unlike any who came before him. Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time, and I am better for having known him." Biden, who is Catholic, called the pope a "challenging teacher" and "above all, he was a pope for everyone."

Biden had planned to visit Francis one more time before leaving office, but the trip was canceled because of wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

"Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people," former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, said. "He shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another."

Mixed emotions in Ukraine

In Ukraine, there was a mix of sorrow and hope. "From a human point of view, it's sad, of course," said Valentina Sofilkanych in Lviv. "But as a Ukrainian, I hope the next Pope will be more pro-Ukrainian, we will feel more support from the church." Francis tried to maintain the Vatican's traditional diplomatic neutrality during the war there.

Some saw meaning in the small details

"He was a pope who was humble. When he visited Kenya, he rode in a very simple car," said Ted Mutuku, a Catholic in the capital, Nairobi.

'The world's conscience'

The pope was "in many respects the world's conscience, never hesitating to challenge the powerful on behalf of the vulnerable," said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is Catholic. He noted the pope's visit in 2022, when he apologized for the church's cooperation with Canada's policy of Indigenous residential schools, saying the forced assimilation destroyed their cultures.

'Love where there was hatred'

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the pope "tirelessly sought to bring love where there was hatred. Unity where there was discord. And the understanding that we are all equal, living in the same house, our planet, which urgently needs our care." Francis visited in 2013.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Pope Francis' final public act – an Easter morning blessing and popemobile tour through a crowd of thousands in St. Peter's Square – in retrospect seems like his final goodbye to the church.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement recalls that Pope Francis once said: "The future of humankind isn't exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies … (it) is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a 'you' and themselves as part of an 'us.'"

Guterres adds that "Our divided and discordant world will be a much better place if we follow his example of unity and mutual understanding in our own actions." (With reports from Jel Santos, Raymund Antonio, Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz, and Merlina Hernando-Malipot)