Italian Space Agency mourns death of Pope Francis

The Italian Space Agency paid tribute to Pope Francis in the wake of his death early Monday morning (April 21).

Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, passed away on Monday at 1:35 a.m. EDT (0535 GMT; 7:35 a.m. local time) in his residence at the Domus Sanctae Marthae in Vatican City. The Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, or ASI) expressed sorrow over the passing of the pope in a statement released that same day.

“The President, Teodoro Valente, and the Director General, Luca Vincenzo Maria Salamone, together with all the staff of the Italian Space Agency, express their deep condolences for the death of Pope Francis,” ASI officials said in the statement. (The statement is in Italian; translation by Google.)

The pope’s death was attributed to a cerebral stroke followed by irreversible heart failure, according to official Vatican reports. The 88-year-old had been facing ongoing health challenges, including recent hospitalization for double pneumonia, but he continued to fulfill his duties, even delivering a final public blessing on Easter Sunday (April 20), just one day before his passing.

The pope was an advocate for global challenges, such as fighting climate change and working to increase sustainability, and sought to bridge the gap between spirituality and the scientific community by urging scientists to use their discoveries for the common good and to care for the planet.

Throughout his papacy, he supported the Vatican Observatory — one of the oldest astronomical research institutions — and its efforts to explore the universe. He recognized the value of space exploration as a means to better understand the cosmos and humanity’s place within it.

The Italian Space Agency joined organizations worldwide in mourning the pope’s passing.