Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming, humble style, dies at 88

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He was 88.

The Vatican said Francis died of a stroke that put him into a coma and led his heart to fail.

Bells tolled in Catholic 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," Cardinal Kevin Farrell said from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived.

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.

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What to know about the death of Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Here are the key things to know about the death of the Argentine pontiff, history's first from Latin America, who presided over the Catholic Church for more than 12 years.

The death of Francis was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Irish-born Vatican camerlengo, a position that will be important in the coming weeks as he takes charge of the administration of the Holy See until a new pope is elected.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,” Farrell said. “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church.”

Farrell made the announcement just over two hours after Francis had died. Farrell spoke from Domus Santa Marta, the apartment on Vatican grounds where Francis lived and where he had returned to recover after a hospitalization for double pneumonia.

Later on Monday, the Vatican said Francis suffered a stroke which led to a coma and his heart to fail.

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Pope Francis led the church with humility and simplicity

VATICAN CITY (AP) — He was a pope who understood the power of a simple touch: caressing the deformed head of a man in St. Peter’s Square, washing the feet of a Muslim prisoner, sinking to his hands and knees to implore South Sudan’s rival leaders to make peace.

Pope Francis charmed the world with those poignant acts of love, humility and informality, starting with his first appearance as pontiff on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica with a remarkably normal, “Buonasera” (“Good evening”) to his cheering flock below.

Francis, the first Latin American pope, died Monday at age 88. It was just a day after Francis imparted what would become his final public blessing from that very same loggia on Easter. “Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter,” he said, before embarking on what would become a final farewell to the faithful with a ride in his popemobile through St. Peter's Square.

The Vatican said Francis suffered a stroke which led to a coma and his heart to fail, as he recovered from a five-week hospitalization for double pneumonia. His funeral and burial at St. Mary Major basilica across town are expected over the weekend.

After that first rainy night of his election on March 13, 2013, Francis made even greater gestures, like bringing a dozen Syrian refugees home with him from a Greek refugee camp. Such actions won him wild popularity among progressives and signaled new priorities for the Vatican after the sometimes-troubled papacy of Pope Benedict XVI.

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JD Vance was one of the last leaders to meet with Pope Francis

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of Pope Francis' final encounters before his death was with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who visited the Vatican over the weekend.

The meeting took place on Easter Sunday. Vance, a Catholic convert, entered the room and reached down for the pope's hand. “Hello,” the vice president said. “So good to see you."

Francis was sitting in a wheelchair, and his words were inaudible in a video released by the Vatican.

“I know you’ve not been feeling great, but it’s good see you in better health," Vance said.

A priest serving as a translator spoke for the pope.

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The Latest: Harvard sues Trump administration to stop its grants freeze

Harvard University announced Monday that it was suing to halt a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus.

Meanwhile, U.S. stocks tumbled as investors worldwide grow more skeptical about U.S. investments because of President Donald Trump’s trade war and his criticism of the Federal Reserve, which are shaking up the traditional order.

The Latest:

In a letter to Harvard earlier this month, Trump’s administration had called for broad government and leadership reforms at the university, as well as changes to its admissions policies. It also demanded the university audit views of diversity on campus, and stop recognizing some student clubs.

Harvard President Alan Garber said the university would not bend to the government’s demands to limit activism on campus. Hours later, the government froze billions of dollars in federal funding.

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Wall Street and the dollar tumble as investors retreat further from the United States

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street weakened Monday as investors worldwide get more skeptical about U.S. investments because of President Donald Trump’s trade war and his criticism of the Federal Reserve, which are shaking the traditional order.

The S&P 500 sank 2.4% in another wipeout. That yanked the index that’s at the center of many 401(k) accounts 16% below its record set two months ago.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 971 points, or 2.5%, while losses for Tesla and Nvidia helped drag the Nasdaq composite down 2.6%.

Perhaps more worryingly, U.S. government bonds and the value of the U.S. dollar also sank as prices retreated across U.S. markets. It’s an unusual move because Treasurys and the dollar have historically strengthened during episodes of nervousness. This time around, though, it’s policies directly from Washington that are causing the fear and potentially weakening their reputations as some of the world’s safest investments.

Trump continued his tough talk on global trade as economists and investors continue to say his stiff proposed tariffs could cause a recession if they’re not rolled back. U.S. talks last week with Japan failed to reach a quick deal that could lower tariffs and protect the economy, and they’re seen as a “test case,” according to Thierry Wizman, a strategist at Macquarie.

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Gaza rescue service dismisses Israeli probe into killing of medics as a 'fabricated investigation'

CAIRO (AP) — The main Palestinian rescue service in Gaza on Monday condemned Israel's probe into the killings of 15 medical workers last month, calling it a “fabricated investigation.”

The army announced the results of its investigation on Sunday, saying it had found “professional failures” and dismissing a deputy commander in what it described as an accident.

A total of 15 people were killed in the March 23 incident — including eight medics with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, six members of the Hamas government's Civil Defense unit and a United Nations staffer. Troops bulldozed over the bodies along with their mangled vehicles, burying them in a mass grave. U.N. and rescue workers were only able to reach the site a week later.

In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the investigation underscores “the occupation's persistence in shielding the truth from the world.”

It accused Israel of making “fallacious allegations” that medical rescue teams are part of Hamas and asked why Israel continues to detain a paramedic who survived the attack.

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White House voices support for Hegseth as a new Signal chat revelation stirs fresh Pentagon turmoil

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House expressed support Monday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following media reports that he shared sensitive military details in another Signal messaging chat, this time with his wife and brother.

Neither the White House nor Hegseth denied that he had shared such information in a second chat, instead focusing their responses on what they called the disgruntled workers whom they blamed for leaking to the media and insisting that no classified information had been disclosed.

“It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories,” President Donald Trump told reporters. "I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people, and that’s what he’s doing. So you don’t always have friends when you do that,” Trump said.

The administration's posture was meant to hold the line against Democratic demands for Hegseth’s firing at a time when the Pentagon is engulfed in turmoil, including the departures of several senior aides and an internal investigation over information leaks.

The White House also tried to deflect attention from the national security implications of the latest Signal revelation by framing it as the outgrowth of an institutional power struggle between Hegseth and the career workforce. But some of the recently departed officials the administration appeared to dismiss as disgruntled were part of Hegseth’s initial inner circle, brought in when he took the job.

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Wife of former US Sen. Bob Menendez convicted in bribery scheme

NEW YORK (AP) — Nadine Menendez, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, was convicted Monday of teaming up with her husband to accept bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey men looking for help with their business dealings or legal troubles.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts in the same federal courthouse in Manhattan where a different jury convicted Bob Menendez of many of the same charges last year. The Democrat is supposed to begin serving an 11-year prison term in June.

Nadine Menendez, who stood but did not appear to react as the verdict was delivered by the jury foreperson, was scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, six days after her husband is expected to report to prison.

Outside the courthouse, she wore a pink mask as she stood next to her lawyer, Barry Coburn, said he was “devastated by the verdict.”

“We fought hard and it hurts,” he said. “This is a very rough day for us.”

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Advanced cancers returned to prepandemic levels, according to a reassuring report

Many Americans were forced to postpone cancer screenings — colonoscopies, mammograms and lung scans — for several months in 2020 as COVID-19 overwhelmed doctors and hospitals.

But that delay in screening isn't making a huge impact on cancer statistics, at least none that can be seen yet by experts who track the data.

Cancer death rates continue to decline, and there weren't huge shifts in late diagnoses, according to a new report published Monday in the journal Cancer. It's the broadest-yet analysis of the pandemic’s effect on U.S. cancer data.

In 2020, as the pandemic began, a greater share of U.S. cancers were caught at later stages, when they're harder to treat. But in 2021, these worrisome diagnoses returned to prepandemic levels for most types of cancer.

“It is very reassuring,” said lead author Recinda Sherman of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. “So far, we haven’t seen an excess of late-stage diagnoses," which makes it unlikely that there will be higher cancer death rates tied to the pandemic.

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