The news was confirmed by the Vatican today. The religious pontiff spent his final weeks in the hospital with an infection that developed into pneumonia in both lungs.
The Conclave, where cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican to select a successor, will not happen for at least 15 days, sources have confirmed.
Francis’s body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica during an official mourning period, and then, in contrast to most of his predecessors, he will be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome’s Esquilino neighborhood.
Francis had just greeted Catholic faithful who had gathered to see him at St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday. He delivered his Urbi et Orbi benediction from a balcony overlooking the square following a mass to mark the high holiday.
On his way, he met US Vice President JD Vance briefly, who was said to be spending Easter in Rome with his loved ones. The Vatican shared that the encounter was very brief and lasted only a few minutes. The news has plunged the entire world of religious Catholic followers into grief after the announcement.