Pope Francis latest: Catholic leader died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican confirms
Pope Francis died following a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, the Vatican has said.
In his final testament, the pontiff expressed his wish to be buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, and not at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican like many previous pontiffs.
The will specified that Francis wanted to be buried “in the ground, without particular decoration” but with the inscription of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.
King Charles and US president Donald Trump led the tributes for the 88-year-old, who was the head of the Catholic church for 12 years.
The pope was hospitalised for several weeks in February, after suffering from a bout of double pneumonia. He returned to the Vatican in mid-March to recover.
Pope Francis, originally from Argentina and the first pope from Latin America, led the 1.4 billion-member church since 2013.
