Pope Francis died at the age of 88 on April 21, 2025. But just yesterday, Easter Sunday, Pope Francis appeared at the Loggia of St. Peter's Basilica for the Urbi et Orbi blessing. He then greeted the crowd in St. Peter's Square.
Until the very end, Pope Francis wished to fulfill his role as head of the Catholic Church. On Sunday, around 11:30 a.m., the Argentine pontiff received US Vice President J.D. Vance at his residence in St. Martha's House. Vance is thus the last politician to have met with Pope Francis. The week before Holy Week, on April 9, he received the King and Queen of England on their wedding anniversary.
Shortly after the meeting with Vance, the Pope went to the Loggia of St. Peter's Basilica. Tens of thousands of faithful were waiting in the Square to receive the Urbi et Orbi blessing and applaud an extremely tired head of the Church. At noon, the red curtains of the Loggia opened. Pope Francis appeared, looking very frail but content, in his wheelchair.
“Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” said the 88-year-old pontiff in his strained voice, triggering loud applause from the crowd. Making a visible effort to speak, the Pontiff indicated that the master of papal liturgical celebrations, Monsignor Diego Giovanni Ravelli, would read his Easter message.
Then Francis blessed the crowd, making the effort to lift his hand and pronouncing in Latin the words, “May Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you.”
Once again, the crowd applauded. It was March 23 that the Pope had been discharged from hospital after 38 days. Admitted on February 14, doctors found the Pope had been struck by double pneumonia and a polymicrobial infection.
On his release from Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic, his doctors had prescribed two months of convalescence.
A surprise appearance before the crowd on the eve of his death
On April 12, the Pope made an unannounced visit to St. Mary Major, a basilica in the heart of Rome, which he had visited more than 120 times since the beginning of his pontificate in 2013. Once again, he prayed before the icon of the Virgin Mary, “Salus Populi Romani.”
Now, the Pope will be buried in this church, located next to Rome's Termini station, in accordance with his wishes.
Eight days ago, at the beginning of Holy Week, Pope Francis greeted the faithful at the end of Palm Sunday Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Square. He also appeared in St. Peter's Basilica.
On Holy Thursday, he visited the Regina Coeli prison in Rome, taking part in a half-hour meeting with about 70 inmates. On Saturday evening, he made another brief appearance in St. Peter's Basilica.
After Sunday's Urbi et Orbi blessing, the Vatican announced on giant screens that the pope would greet the crowd — a surprise given his very fragile health.
The Pope appeared a few minutes later in the popemobile and drove through the aisles of a packed St. Peter's Square. He was accompanied by his personal nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, and one of his secretaries.
The head of the Catholic Church remained outdoors in the middle of the crowd for about 15 minutes, stopping to bless children held aloft by his security guards. Greeted by tens of thousands of people, the popemobile made its way to the beginning of Via della Conciliazione—a street leading between Bernini's colonnades surrounding St. Peter's Square—before returning the pope to his residence. This was the last public image of Pope Francis.
