00:00The late Pope Francis' cause of death was confirmed by the Vatican on Monday evening
00:05as a stroke followed by irreversible heart failure.
00:10His passing was announced earlier in the morning,
00:14with bells tolling in Catholic churches from Latin America to Asia
00:18and across Rome as the news spread around the world.
00:22The 88-year-old Pontiff's health had been struggling
00:51in recent weeks.
00:53In February, he was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome,
00:57where he spent 38 days battling a respiratory crisis
01:00that developed into double pneumonia.
01:05It wasn't his first encounter with pulmonary issues.
01:09Francis suffered from chronic lung disease his entire life,
01:13even having part of his lung removed as a young man.
01:16He was released from hospital and returned to the Vatican in late March,
01:23where he resumed his papal role with lighter duties.
01:27Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday
01:30to bless thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.
01:35A seder vacante, or vacancy, has now begun in the Vatican,
01:40marked by the red ribbon and wax ceiling of the late Pope's formal apartment.
01:45The date of the funeral for Pope Francis,
01:50who asked to be buried in the ground at St. Mary Major Basilica,
01:54has not yet been decided.
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