After 'Miracle' Recovery, Report Reveals Likely Cause Of Pope's Death

Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, died on Monday. He was 88. The pope spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli hospital before leaving the facility on March 23. The possible cause of his death, however, was not respiratory issues stemming from the bout of pneumonia but a cerebral haemorrhage, according to reports.

The pope's death is apparently not related to respiratory diseases but cerebral haemorrhage could be a possible cause, according to the sources of the Italian news agency ANSA.

Earlier, Pope Francis' primary doctor during his hospitalisation said that his recovery was "miraculous" and that it was he who chose to keep trying different therapies when his life was most at risk.

"There is a scientific publication according to which prayers give strength to the patient, in this case, the whole world praying. I can say that twice the situation was lost, and then it happened like a miracle," he said," Doctor Sergio Alfieri had told Italy's newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The Argentine pontiff's death has set in motion centuries-old traditions that will culminate in the gathering of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor.

In the next few days, the Vatican's cardinals will decide on the pope's funeral date, at which point his coffin will be transferred to St Peter's Basilica.

For now, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by the Camerlengo, a senior cardinal, currently Dublin-born Cardinal Farrell.

Francis's body will be laid in its coffin in the chapel at the Saint Martha residence where he lived at 8:00 pm, the Vatican said.

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