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. The cause of Pope Francis’ death was a stroke that led to a coma and “irreversible heart failure,” the Vatican said.The Holy See press office released a declaration of death report on Monday from a Vatican City medical official that outlined Francis’ medical history.The notice said the pontiff had previously suffered acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.The leader of the Roman Catholic Church