Pope Francis has died aged 88 after suffering health issues for several months. He was admitted to the Gemelli hospital in Rome for treatment for bronchitis on February 14 which developed into double pneumonia
On Monday, April 21, the Vatican confirmed the death of the Argentine pontiff. The Holy See’s statement came after a spokesperson confirmed that the respiratory infection had led to a ‘complex clinical picture’.
In his final days as the leader of the Catholic Church, the Pope remained active, continuing to make phone calls to members of a Catholic parish in Gaza. However, his declining health forced him to cancel several engagements, including a planned meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla to mark their 20th wedding anniversary.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina on December 17, 1936., Pope Francis was inspired to devote his life to faith after a health crisis in his early years. Though he initially pursued a career in the food processing industry, working as a qualified chemical technician after leaving school, his true calling became clear when he was 21.
Following a severe case of pleurisy — an inflammation around the lungs that causes sharp chest pain — he underwent surgery to have part of one of his lungs removed.
Pope Francis later recalled that his path to the priesthood became clear one day when he stopped by a church on his way to a holiday celebration with friends. It was a moment of unexpected clarity. “It surprised me, caught me with my guard down.”
He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1958 and studied humanities, philosophy, and theology in both Chile and Argentina. By 1969, he was ordained as a priest, eventually rising to the positions of archbishop and cardinal.
Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville, told ABC News that people can “easily” live with one lung. “Many people have gone on to live perfectly normal lives, even to engage in tennis, hiking and jogging with one lung,” Schaffner said. “It’s like being able to live with only one kidney.”
However, those with one lung are more susceptible to more severe pneumonia and more serious complications from pneumonia as they have reduced lung capacity. When he was released from the hospital in March, doctors had said he would need rest at home for at least two months.
It’s expected that the funeral of Pope Francis will take place in St Peter’s Square. His body will lie at St Peter’s Basilica, allowing dignitaries and some of the faithful to pay their final respects. In what will be one final signature break with papal tradition for the often divisive pope, Pope Francis previously disclosed plans to be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, not the Vatican – a signifier of his devotion to the Virgin Mary.
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