Vatican: Pope Died of a Stroke

Pope Francis' death hours after his final appearance was caused by a stroke, followed by irreversible heart failure, the Vatican said in a statement Monday. In a death certificate, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said the 88-year-old fell into a coma before his death early Monday, Reuters reports. The Vatican statement said factors contributing to the pontiff's death included arterial hypertension, type II diabetes, and a "previous episode of acute respiratory failure," CNN reports.

In his final testament, Francis confirmed that he wanted to be buried in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, not St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the resting place of many former pontiffs, the Guardian reports.

• "As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial," Francis said in the 2022 spiritual testament released by Vatican News. "Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest—awaiting the day of the Resurrection—in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major."
• "The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus," he wrote. "May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples."

Francis spent 38 days in a Rome hospital earlier this year with double pneumonia. After his release from the hospital, he made some surprise public appearances despite doctors' orders to take it easy and avoid crowds, which Vatican-watchers said was not out of character for the "maverick" pope. In his last appearance, he blessed a crowd of around 35,000 from a balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square before touring the piazza in the popemobile. "He blessed us but his voice was a husk," a man called Alberto told the BBC. "I think he was giving us his last goodbye." (More Pope Francis stories.)