Off The Record

In His Last Moments, Pope Francis Shared One Heartfelt Request

Published on April 23, 2025

Pope Francis, who was 88 years old, died Friday, April 21. The pope, who was adored for leading a modest life, was the ruler of the Vatican City State and the head of the Catholic Church. Shortly after his passing, the Vatican released his final declaration and testament, and Pope Francis made a unique arrangement that very few popes before him have done.

The pope, who was born in Argentina, died on Monday following a series of well-publicized health problems, and the world is in mourning. In many respects, the head of the Catholic Church was a contemporary pope who frequently expressed his ideas on social and economic justice and urged world leaders to take immediate action to address the climate catastrophe. Nevertheless, Francis’ use of his position caused division within the historic organization, with some contending that he ought to stay out of politics.

“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican’s TV channel. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”

On December 17, 1936, Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His mother, Regina, was a stay-at-home mother, and his father, Mario, was an Italian immigrant who worked as an accountant for the railroads. In his country, he first earned his degree as a chemical technician, but he later decided to follow a religious career. He has four siblings.

In 1958, Francis became a novitiate of the Society of Jesus and enrolled in the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto. Before returning home in 1963 and graduating with a degree in philosophy from Colegio de San José in San Miguel, he studied humanities in Chile.

He spent two years teaching psychology and literature in Buenos Aires and Santa Fé before pursuing a degree in theology in 1970. But he had already received his priestly ordination a year earlier.

Pope Francis dead at 88

Pope Francis has an absolutely amazing career path within the church. In 1973, he was named Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina, a position he maintained for six years. He still held a number of significant positions in the church, but from 1980 to 1986 he was the rector and theology professor at the Colegio of San José.

Six years after being appointed auxiliary of Buenos Aires and titular bishop of Auca, Francis was appointed archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. Three years later, Pope John Paul II designated him Cardinal-Priest of Saint Robert Bellarmine, clearing the way for his ascent to the Vatican.

Francis was almost ready to take over as pope when Pope John Paul II passed away in 2005. He reportedly obtained the second-highest number of votes during the papal conclave. But Pope Benedict XVI was to be the successor.

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation led to the appointment of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as pope in 2013. As the first Latin-American pope in the history of the Catholic Church, he adopted the name Pope Francis and accomplished things that had a global impact during his 12-year tenure.

Many people have strong opinions on Pope Francis’ handling of his papacy, including certain cardinals. Many people think that since the Catholic Church is an old organization, everything should stay the same. Francis, on the other hand, wanted to modernize the church and had different ideals.

Pope Francis’ progressive papacy

He became known for his progressive causes, such as advocating for immigrants and people experiencing poverty. He was also the first pope to label laws that criminalize homosexuality “unjust.”

Francis was also a fighter for the environment. “Laudato Si’ (Praise Be to You),” a papal letter he sent in 2015, ended with a part in which the Pope urged action against climate change.

“The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. Here I want to recognize, encourage and thank all those striving in countless ways to guarantee the protection of the home which we share. Particular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of environmental degradation on the lives of the world’s poorest. Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded,” Pope Francis wrote.

He continued, “I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”

Pope Francis received a lot of adulation, but there were also controversies. For instance, Pope Francis rejected Chilean rape survivors in the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal. But he later expressed regret, describing it as a “severe error.” Additionally, he defrocked Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, who was found guilty by the Vatican of abusing both adults and children.

Pope Francis was a “foodie,” according to his chef

A man of the people, Pope Francis declined to adopt a more opulent lifestyle after assuming the office. After being elected, he chose to live in a modest two-room apartment in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, which had previously been used for guests, rather than the opulent papal palace on the top floor of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.

Some popes might need a fancy supper multiple times a day, but Francis didn’t need that. Francis liked “bread and good cheese or a pizza,” according to chef Sergio Dussin, who is well-known throughout the world for having cooked for three popes, in an interview with the Catholic news website Aleteia.

“Francis is a foodie; he eats good pasta and beans, bread and sopressa or polenta from Marano, and cheese. I’ve also prepared pizza for him on occasion. He’s unpredictable, that’s just how he is: he sticks to the ceremony until he sees someone,” Dussin said in 2022. “Then he stops to give them a hug, or to hold a child in his arms, or to get up and greet my staff. I’ve dedicated a dish to him on the menu of my restaurants: ‘Ravioli papa Francesco,’ a homemade pasta with Asiago cheese, Asiago speck and shavings of Collina Veneta cheese.”

For a significant portion of his pontificate, Pope Francis had health problems. Pope Benedict XVI, his predecessor, made the exceedingly uncommon choice to step down when he believed his health would not allow him to continue. Francis claimed in a 2024 interview with the CBS program 60 Minutes that he had never thought about resigning.

“I have never thought of resigning”

“Maybe if the day comes when my health can go no further,” he said. “Perhaps because the only infirmity I have is in my knee, and that is getting much better. But it never occurred to me.”

However, Francis considered his life and the prospect of resigning in the 2024 book Life: My Story Through History, authored by Italian journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona. In that instance, he clarified that he would refer to himself as “bishop of Rome emeritus” instead than “pope emeritus,” in contrast to Pope Benedict XVI. He said that instead of residing at the Vatican, he would dwell in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome “to serve as a confessor and give Communion to the sick.”

“Fortunately, I have never thought of resigning, despite moments of difficulty,” Pope Francis said in the book. “Some people may have hoped that sooner or later, perhaps after a stay in the hospital, I might make an announcement of that kind, but there is no risk of it: thanks be to God, I enjoy good health, and as I have said, there are many projects to bring to fruition, God willing.”

Pope Francis experienced a number of health problems in his latter years. He endured two rounds of intestinal surgery, the flu, and only one whole lung. He spent 38 days in the hospital with a potentially fatal respiratory ailment before being discharged just one week ago. When Francis emerged into the crowd in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, everything seemed to be going smoothly. He died at the age of 88 less than twenty-four hours later.

Pope Francis’ last wish

Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, announced Monday night that Pope Francis’ cause of death was determined to be a stroke followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse in a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office. Electrocardiographic thanatography proved his demise.

“I hereby declare that the causes of death, to the best of my knowledge and judgment, are as stated above,” Dr. Arcangeli said, per Vatican News.

Pope Francis’ funeral specifics have not yet been made public. But shortly after his passing, his will and testament were made public. Francis has chosen not to be buried in the Vatican, in contrast to many of his predecessors.

“Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in Eternal Life, I wish to express my testamentary will only with regard to the place of my burial. I have always entrusted my life and my priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy,” Pope Francis wrote.

“Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest awaiting the day of resurrection in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. I wish that my last earthly journey conclude precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary where I went for prayer at the beginning and end of each Apostolic Journey to confidently entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and thank Her for her docile and maternal care. I ask that my tomb be prepared in the niche of the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the aforementioned Papal Basilica as indicated in the enclosed attachment.”

“May the Lord give the deserved reward to those who have loved me”

It came as a surprise to many that Pope Francis wished to not be buried in the Vatican. However, the late Pope did one last thing to prove that he is a man of the people: he requested that no inscriptions on the tomb mention his role as Pope.

“The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus. The expenses for the preparation of my burial will be covered by the sum of the benefactor that I have arranged, to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and of which I have provided appropriate instructions to Mons. Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Chapter,” Francis continued.

“May the Lord give the deserved reward to those who have loved me and will continue to pray for me. The suffering that has become present in the last part of my life I have offered to the Lord for peace in the world and brotherhood among peoples.”

Ring destroyed with a hammer…

The tradition of destroying the Pope’s ring—specifically the Fisherman’s Ring—dates back centuries and is rooted in the Catholic Church’s rituals surrounding the death of a pope. Here’s why it’s done:

Why is the ring destroyed?

To prevent forgery: The Fisherman’s Ring was historically used as a seal on official papal documents. Destroying it ensures that no one can use it to forge documents in the pope’s name after his death.
Symbolic closure: The destruction marks the end of that pope’s reign and the beginning of the “sede vacante” (vacant seat) period until a new pope is elected.
Ceremonial tradition: The ritual is carried out with a small silver hammer, used to make deep cuts in the ring or to visibly damage it beyond repair.

What is the Fisherman’s Ring?

It’s a gold ring depicting Saint Peter, the original “fisher of men,” casting his net—symbolizing the pope’s role as Peter’s successor and leader of the global Catholic Church.
The ring is unique to each pope and carries his name engraved around the image.

Who destroys it?

Traditionally, the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church (the official who manages the Church’s affairs during the interregnum) is responsible for overseeing the destruction of the ring.

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