The Last Days of Pope Francis: Serenity, Faith, and a Peaceful Farewell

In the early morning hours of April 21, 2025, the world awoke to the news of Pope Francis’s passing. He was 88 years old. His personal physician, Dr. Sergio Alfieri, confirmed that the Pontiff died in a coma after suffering a cerebral stroke that triggered an irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse. Though sudden, his death was marked by deep serenity.

The final days of his life reflected the simplicity and inner peace that defined the first Latin American Pope. Despite his fragile health—he had recently been hospitalized for bilateral pneumonia and respiratory fatigue—he continued to fulfill his pastoral duties from his residence at Casa Santa Marta. He celebrated private Masses, welcomed close visitors, and recorded messages for religious communities, especially dedicated to youth and the sick.

One of his last public appearances was the Urbi et Orbi blessing on Easter Sunday, March 30. From St. Peter’s Square, visibly tired but with a steady voice, Francis offered words of hope and unity to the world. Those close to him sensed something different that day: a calmness that felt like a farewell, a quiet strength in his gaze and gestures.

According to medical reports, Pope Francis was found unresponsive at 5:30 a.m. by his health assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti. Twenty minutes later, Dr. Alfieri arrived to find the Pope with his eyes open, breathing steadily, but unresponsive even to pain. He was in a coma. “I gave him a final caress. He wasn’t afraid. He was ready,” the doctor said, visibly moved.

The decision not to transfer him to the hospital honored the Pope’s express wishes—to die at home, in peace, without unnecessary interventions. Francis did not want his final moments to be a public display; he simply wanted to rest in God’s presence, in the quiet of his room.

His death marks the end of a papacy defined by humility, compassion, and openness. In his last days, Francis was not only the leader of the Catholic Church—he was a man of faith, preparing calmly for his final journey. He died as he lived: at peace with himself, with his faith, and with the world.