Pope Francis passes away at 88
UPDATE (1:26 PM): According to a death certificate issued by the Vatican, Pope Francis died Monday morning at 7:35 a.m. local time hours after he attended Easter services in St. Peter's Square.
The certificate says the pope died of a stroke which prompted irreversible heart failure.
The certificate officially lists the cause of death as cerebral stroke, coma and "cardiocirculatory collapse."
It also lists Francis' prior health struggles, including the bilateral pneumonia he was recently hospitalized for, hypertension and type 2 diabetes.
Additionally, the Vatican released the text of Pope Francis' final testament, in which he confirmed his wish to be buried in an underground tomb in Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major.
It is the final resting place of seven other pontiffs and one of four papal basilicas in Rome.
(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - The Vatican confirms that Pope Francis has passed away.
The 88-year-old pontiff died following a series of health challenges in recent years.
The Pope continued to hold engagements up until Easter Sunday when he met briefly with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He was ordained as priest in 1969 and eventually become Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
He was made a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II and elected as Pope in 2013 after Pope Benedict retired.
Francis was just the first Jesuit Pope, the first Latin American pope, and the first from the Americas.
As leader of the Catholic Church, he advocated heavily for immigrants, refugees, and the poor and showed a lighter touch than previous popes on social issues like gay marriage.
