Pope Francis’s Final Moments: Peaceful Passing at Home and His Last Words Remembered

Pope Francis’s physician, Sergio Alfieri, recounted his final moments. Although the Pope’s eyes were open, he did not respond when called and showed no reaction to painful stimuli.

According to Italian newspapers Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica, Dr. Alfieri received an urgent call from the Pope’s nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, around 5:30 a.m. local time on Monday, April 21, asking him to come quickly because the Pope’s condition had worsened.

Dr. Alfieri arrived at the Pope’s residence, the Casa Santa Marta inside the Vatican, about 20 minutes later. There, he found the Pope with his eyes open but unresponsive. His pulse was slowing, and his breathing had become shallow. Although he considered transferring the Pope to the hospital, he determined that there was a high risk of death during transit.

The Pope had expressed his wish to pass away peacefully at home, and in the end, he passed away peacefully at his residence.

It is known that the Pope had refused life-prolonging treatments toward the end of his life.

Dr. Alfieri explained that Pope Francis had requested that no intubation or excessive interventions be performed since his abdominal surgery in 2021. During his most recent hospitalization, the Pope again firmly requested that he not be intubated under any circumstances. La Repubblica reported that Pope Francis had made it clear years earlier that he did not want futile life-sustaining measures.

Earlier in 2025, after being treated for severe pneumonia and discharged from the hospital last month, the Pope disregarded his medical team’s advice to minimize contact with outsiders for at least two months and quickly resumed public activities. Just three weeks after his discharge, on April 16, he invited 70 medical staff members from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, who had cared for him, to the Vatican. Although Dr. Alfieri advised against it, the Pope simply thanked him quietly.

Reflecting on the events, Dr. Alfieri said he now believes the Pope knew what he needed to accomplish before his death, adding that Pope Francis wished to fulfill his mission until the very end—and indeed, he did.

Dr. Alfieri noted that when he visited the Pope at Casa Santa Marta on April 19, just two days before his death, the Pope’s health still seemed relatively stable.

Pope Francis had been pleased to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass at Regina Coeli Prison in Rome on April 17, though he expressed regret at being unable to perform the ritual of washing the feet of inmates. According to Dr. Alfieri, this was the Pope’s final remark.

Dr. Alfieri, head of the abdominal tumor surgery department at Gemelli University Hospital, performed Pope Francis’s 2021 and 2025 abdominal surgeries. Earlier this year, during the Pope’s hospitalization for pneumonia, he also led the medical team overseeing his treatment.

Dr. Alfieri added that the Pope displayed a very human side by occasionally sneaking into the kitchen at night for snacks, despite being advised to follow a strict diet after his 2021 surgery. He mentioned that although he recommended dietary control, Pope Francis, fond of sweets, would often secretly visit the kitchen at Casa Santa Marta to indulge in late-night treats.