Vatican says Pope Francis died from a stroke, then heart failure

The Vatican said the cause of Francis’ death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure. It also said the pope had decreed that he will be buried in St. Mary Major Basilica in a simple underground tomb.

The basilica is home to Francis’ favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted. Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, head of the Vatican’s health department, revealed the pontiff’s cause of death and noted that in addition to the cerebral stroke, the 88-year-old pope was suffering from pneumonia in both lungs, which caused episodes of respiratory insufficiency, according to AP.



Francis recently returned to the Vatican after 38 days in a hospital for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter’s Square.

No funeral date has been announced..