Pope Francis newest: Catholic chief died of a stroke and irreversible coronary heart failure, Vatican confirms

Cardinals are set to meet on Tuesday to plan Pope Francis’ funeral, which leaders from around the world will attend ahead of a conclave next month to elect a new head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Francis, 88, died unexpectedly on Monday after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest, the Vatican said, ending an often turbulent reign in which he repeatedly clashed with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised.

All cardinals currently in Rome have been invited to gather in the Vatican at 9 am local time, where they were expected to make funeral plans.

The gathering of cardinals will also review the day-to-day running of the Church in the period before a new pope is elected.

The pontiff spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year for double pneumonia. But he returned to his Vatican home almost a month ago and had seemed to be recovering, appearing in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.

His sudden death set in motion ancient rituals, as the 1.4-billion-member Church started the transition from one pope to another, including the breaking of the pope’s “Fisherman’s Ring” and lead seal so they cannot be used by anyone else.

“We want to thank the Lord for the gifts he has given to the whole Church with the apostolic ministry of Pope Francis, a pilgrim of hope,” said Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, who led prayers in St Peter’s Square on Monday evening.

A conclave to choose a new pope normally takes place 15 to 20 days after the death of a pontiff, meaning it should not start before 6 May. Some 135 cardinals are eligible to participate in the highly secretive ballot which can stretch over days.

As the Catholic Church enters the “sede vacante”, Cardinal Kevin Farrell is overseeing the Holy See’s administrative and financial duties in absence of a pope.

Cardinal Farrell was born on 2 September 1947 in Dublin. He became an ordained priest in 1978, serving for almost 40 years before Francis made him a cardinal in 2016.

He is the Camerlengo of the Church, meaning that he is in charge while the conclave takes place.

US president Donald Trump said he and his wife Melania Trump will travel to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis.

“Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The US president clashed repeatedly with the pope over their differences on the issue of immigration.

Among other heads of state set to attend were Javier Milei, president of Francis’ native Argentina.

Doctors told Pope Francis that he needed two months’ rest before he returned to work, after he spent more than five weeks in hospital for a bout of double pneumonia.

Despite the orders of doctors, the pope kept working right to the end.

The day before his death, Francis made his first prolonged public appearance since February, as he entered St. Peter’s Square in a white popemobile to greet cheering crowds.

For only the second time since leaving hospital on 23 March, the pope met on Sunday with foreign leaders as he welcomed US vice president JD Vance for a brief encounter.

Vance wrote on X: “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill”, adding: “May God rest his soul.”

He also briefly met with Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenovic and his family on Sunday.

There are currently nine US cardinals who are expected to take part in the 2025 conclave, according to the list of cardinal electors.

They are: Cardinal Robert Prevost, Cardinal Blase J Cupich, Cardinal Timothy M Dolan, Cardinal Robert W McElroy, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Cardinal Wilton Daniel Gregory, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley and Cardinal Raymond Burke.

With US cardinals eligible to vote in the conclave out of 138, the mathematical possibility of the next pope being American is just shy of six per cent.