RAMALLAH, April 21, 2025 (WAFA) – The Vatican announced a short while ago the death of Pope Francis, at the age of 88.

The Vatican said in a statement on X, "Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, at his residence in Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican."

Pope Francis's last remarks were yesterday, when he appeared from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on the occasion of Easter, addressing several messages to the world in an address read by one of his aides.

Commenting on the situation in the Gaza Strip, Pope Francis said, "The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip is generating death and destruction and causing a 'horrific and shameful' humanitarian situation."

He called for a ceasefire and accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid for the  starving people in the strip.

Pope Francis left the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on March 23 after five weeks of treatment for pneumonia. Doctors announced that he would need two months of rest in the Vatican.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced that a mass will be held in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre next Wednesday for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The mass will be presided over by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, with the participation of the heads of the Catholic churches in the Holy Land.

Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, and ascended the Holy See in 2013.

President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine offered his condolences on the passing of Pope Francis at the age of 88.

The President added, "We offer our deepest condolences to the Vatican and to believers worldwide for this great loss represented by the passing of Pope Francis, who was a symbol of tolerance, love, and fraternity."

Y.S