Pope Francis Used His Final Tweet To Make A Powerful Statement About The Meaning Of Life

Pope Francis shared his thoughts on the meaning of life in the final post on his social media account before his death.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church died Monday at age 88 as he was recovering from a bout of pneumonia.

“Christ is risen! These words capture the entire meaning of our existence, for we were not made for death but for life,” reads a post Sunday from his official account on X, formerly Twitter.

The words in the post were taken from his Easter Sunday message, which was delivered earlier Sunday during a brief public appearance.

In the address, the pope also reiterated his plea for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

“I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible,” he said in the message that was read aloud by an aide on the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica as the pontiff looked on.

In the message, the pontiff said the situation in Gaza is “dramatic and deplorable.”

“I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace,” he said.

The pope’s death was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Irish-born Vatican camerlengo, a position that will now be pivotal as he effectively takes charge of the administration until a new pope is chosen.

“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.”

During his final public appearance on Easter Sunday, Francis blessed a crowd of faithful from the loggia — or gallery — of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter,” he said from the same spot where he was introduced to the world on March 13, 2013, as the 266th pope.

Francis also made a surprise ride in his popemobile, drawing wild cheers and applause.

Beforehand, he met briefly with U.S. Vice President JD Vance amid his publicly expressed concerns over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill,” Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, said on Monday during a visit to India.