Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor died Monday. He was 88.
The Vatican said Francis died of a cerebral stroke that put him into a coma and led to irreversible heart failure.
Bells tolled in churches from his native Argentina to the Philippines and across Rome as news spread around the world.
"At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church," said Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, who takes charge after a pontiff’s death.
Connecticut Roman Catholics honored Francis Monday at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford.
Archbishop Christopher Coyne said the pope served the church well.
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"His was a prophetic voice, constantly seeking to move us out of the comfortable middle of life and faith, to the margins of society," Coyne said. "While doing so, he continued to maintain the church's deposit of faith and dogma."
Dozens of worshippers joined Coyne in remembering the pontiff as a man who was welcoming.
In 2013, following his first papal trip, Francis famously responsed “Who am I to judge?” when asked about a purportedly gay priest.
Nancy Vivar-Ramos, 62, of East Hartford, said Francis leaves "a very deep hole during these times when we need our faith to keep going."
Vivar-Ramos, a parish leader at Maria Reina De La Paz in Hartford, said she saw Francis three times during his papacy. Once in Pennsylvania and twice in Rome.
"The first time was enchanting. I couldn’t believe it, I was in front of him," Vivar-Ramos recalled. "I felt elevated, I was kind of surprised. I was mute for a few minutes."
"And after that, I was full of joy," she said.
Danielle Hugill, 42, of West Hartford, said Francis was "a wonderful leader for the church."
"It was heartbreaking," Hugill said. "I was glad that he was alive for Easter and was able to see everyone in Rome. He'll be missed. I'm hoping that the changes that he made will continue with whoever the new Pope is in the future."
Pope Francis had a significant impact on Catholic leadership in Connecticut. Francis named Coyne as leader of the Hartford Archdiocese. The Pope also selected the bishops leading the Diocese of Bridgeport and the Diocese of Norwich.
'His wonderful smile': CT Jesuit priest recalls meeting Francis
Rev. John Mulreany, the superior of the Jesuit Community at Fairfield University, said Francis' death one day after Easter Sunday was a shock despite the realization of the pope's declining health.
Mulreany recalled meeting the pontiff at the Vatican last November.
"We went to the pope's Wednesday audience and afterwards we had the opportunity to take a picture with Pope Francis," Mulreany said. "At the end of that picture, he had himself wheeled down to the very end to come to me to bless this package of rosary beads that I had."
"I will never forget his wonderful smile," Mulreany said. "He went down the end of the line and smiled at me and waved at me to give him the beads and to bless them."
"For me, that captures what his papacy was like, which was conveying this personal sense of mercy. A personal sense of the importance of each individual person."
A Jesuit pioneer
In addition to becoming the first Latin American pontiff, Francis was also the first Jesuit pope.
Francis lived in the Vatican hotel instead of the Apostolic Palace, wore his old orthotic shoes and not the red loafers of the papacy, and rode in compact cars. It wasn’t a gimmick.
“I see clearly that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful,” he told a Jesuit journal in 2013. “I see the church as a field hospital after battle.”
Francis was also the first pope to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century friar known for personal simplicity and care for society’s outcasts.
"He had a particular focus on the periphery," Mulreany, the Fairfield University Jesuit priest, said.
"He wanted to make the poor the center. Those who were often on the margins — or those the world has forgotten."
A leader 'of peace for peace'
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Francis led by his words and example and “was one of the most inspiring Popes and spiritual leaders of my lifetime, at a time when we needed him most.”
“He brought people together, teaching mercy, compassion and reconciliation,” Lamont wrote on social media. “I join Catholics across the world in mourning.”
In accordance with a proclamation from President Donald Trump, Lamont ordered U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to fly at half-staff effective Monday and remain lowered until sunset on the date of interment, which has not yet been determined.
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney recalled a visit to Congress by Francis and said the pope was “a leader ‘of peace, for peace.’”
“He urged us to lift up the poor, protect our planet, and show compassion to migrants and refugees,” Courtney wrote on social media. “I heard this firsthand from Francis in his 2015 address to Congress; his message rings louder today. May he rest in peace.”
“Pope Francis was an extraordinary individual who reminded us all of the rich history of the Catholic Church on social justice, and especially our moral commitment to help the poor and vulnerable," Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro said in a statement. "He challenged global leaders to confront issues of injustice, inequality, and the climate crisis with urgency."
Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.
He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday — a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, drawing wild cheers and applause. Beforehand, he met briefly with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Francis performed the blessing from the same loggia where he was introduced to the world on March 13, 2013 as the 266th pope.
Connecticut Public's Chris Polansky, Matt Dwyer, Lori Mack, Patrick Skahill and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
