Pope Francis, whose time as head of the Catholic Church was noted for humility and outreach efforts to people of disparate backgrounds and faiths, has died at 88, the Vatican said.
The pontiff's funeral is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, according to the Vatican. Francis' death on Monday came after a series of worsening health problems, including a diagnosis of double pneumonia that put him in the hospital for more than a month earlier this year.
Watch ABC News live coverage of the funeral for Pope Francis on Saturday starting at 3:30 a.m. ET on ABC stations and streaming on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Apr 21, 2025, 8:51 AM EDT
Karoline Leavitt: 'A solemn day for Catholics around the world'
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News that today is "a solemn day for Catholics around the world."
Pope Francis' death comes one day after his brief audience with Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican on Easter Sunday.
Leavitt said Vance’s team told her "how grateful they were for the opportunity to have met with the Pope."
"He touched millions of lives throughout his tenure as the head of the Catholic Church," she said, adding, "we are praying for all those who loved the Pope and believed in him."
It's not yet clear whether President Donald Trump would travel for the services honoring the life of Pope Francis.
"No travel plans at this time -- doesn't mean it's not happening. I just don't have anything to share," Leavitt told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Apr 21, 2025, 8:34 AM EDT
Eiffel Tower lights to be switched off in pope’s honor
The lights on the Eiffel Tower will be switched off on Monday night in a tribute to Pope Francis, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a social media post.
The mayor also suggested that a place in Paris should be named in Francis’ honor.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Apr 21, 2025, 8:11 AM EDT
'May God Bless him,' Trump says of Francis
President Donald Trump issued a brief statement about Pope Francis' death on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
"Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!" Trump said.
1:17
President Trump reacts to Pope Francis’ deathTrump shared a message on social media Monday morning following the death of the pontiff.
ABCNews.com
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
Apr 21, 2025, 8:01 AM EDT
Cardinal Dolan on Pope Francis: 'Praise almighty god, for the gift that he was'
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, spoke on Monday about Pope Francis' stewardship and how his death after Easter was "providential."
"Praise almighty god, for the gift that he was, to the church, the world, to us," Dolan said during a morning mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.
Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan walks to talk to the media after holding morning mass after the death of Pope Francis was announced by the Vatican, at St Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, New York City, April 21, 2025.
Adam Gray/Reuters
Dolan noted that in the pope's final months he could barely move, but that was when he became the most eloquent by continuing to spread the word of the gospel and "allowing us to watch him die."
The cardinal also released a full statement, saying, "I join with people all over the world, not only Catholics, but people of all faiths or none at all, in mourning the passing of our beloved Pope Francis this morning. How appropriate that his last public appearance was on Easter Sunday as we celebrated the joy of the resurrection of Jesus whom Pope Francis loved so deeply and so well, and right after our Jewish brothers and sisters, for whom Pope Francis had such great love, concluded their celebration of Passover.
"I was honored to participate in the conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013, and to have welcomed him here to New York in 2015. He touched us all with his simplicity, with his heart of a humble servant. Trusting in the tender and infinite mercy of Jesus, we pray that he is, even now, enjoying his eternal reward in heaven.
"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
"May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace."
