The Vatican has officially disclosed the cause of death of Pope Francis. It has been confirmed that the late Pontiff died from a cerebral stroke that led to coma and subsequent heart failure.
In a death certificate released on Monday, the cause of death has been cited as “cerebral stroke, coma, and cardiocirculatory collapse.”
According to the document signed by Vatican City’s director of the health, Prof. Andrea Arcangeli, the stroke triggered a rapid deterioration of the Pontiff’s health, resulting in an irreversible coma and ultimately, complete heart failure.
His previous ailments: bilateral pneumonia which he was recently hospitalized for, hypertension and Type II diabetes were listed in the document.
Pope Francis, who led the Roman Catholic Church from 2013 until his passing, had long battled various health challenges but remained active in global affairs until the final days of his life.
He died at 7:35 a.m. local time on the morning of April 21.