Pope Francis has died, the Vatican announced in a video statement.
The first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church died at the age of 88 at 7:35am (05:35 GMT) on Monday, said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.
His death will lead to a process to find a new spiritual leader of the world’s1.4 billion or so Catholics.
Francis had suffered various ailments during his 12-year papacy, with severe complications in recent weeks after a bout of double pneumonia for which he spent 38 days at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
His death comes one day after a brief final appearance before thousands of Catholic pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Vatican’s open-air Easter Sunday Mass, wishing the crowds “Happy Easter” before an aide read out his last benediction.
Concern over his health had risen in recent days, as Francis had defied doctors’ orders issued after he was discharged from hospital on March 23 to visit a prison in Rome and carry out other short appointments.
“I am living it as best I can,” he told a journalist when asked about marking Easter in his condition.
“When very sad news like this comes, there is a very well-planned procedure for what happens after the death of a pontiff. But I think, for now, people will be completely shocked,” said Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays, reporting from Rome.
“Yes, this is a man who was very, very ill, but less than 24 hours ago, the pilgrims in St Peter’s Square and all around the world saw the pope. He was determined on Easter Sunday to be very, very visible,” he said.
Spiritual leader
When a pope’s death is confirmed, the body is locked away in his apartment to prevent anyone from entering. No autopsy is allowed to take place.
Once all officials have been informed, his papal ring is destroyed in front of witnesses.
A funeral should take place within four to six days.
Fifteen days after the pope’s death, it is expected that a papal conclave, a gathering of cardinals younger than 80 years, will convene to vote for his successor.
Once a pope is chosen and he has accepted the appointment, an announcement is made from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, after which the new pope makes his first public appearance.
Outsider
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he was elected pope on March 13, 2013, surprising many Church watchers who had seen the Argentinian cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
His papacy marked a radical departure from his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who believed that nurturing the 2,000-year-old institution’s most ardent believers was the way to strengthen the Church.
The football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires was a charismatic communicator with a friendly demeanour, who stripped the Vatican of some layers of opacity and connected to the concerns of common people.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Francis after his death, saying he had always been “on the side of the most vulnerable and the most fragile” and fought for “more justice”.
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin said Francis’s “long and distinguished papacy was marked by his unwavering commitment to the principles of compassion, peace and human dignity”.
Turbulent priest
Francis was known for his efforts to promote global peace and interreligious dialogue.
He made a pilgrimage to South Sudan in 2023 and appealed for an end to the “absurd and cruel war” in Ukraine.
In his final public appearance on Easter Sunday, Francis called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the remaining captives being held by the Palestinian group Hamas.
“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 at the Vatican’s open-air Easter Sunday Mass.
The same day, he met United States Vice President JD Vance. The pope had earlier called the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown a “disgrace”.
He staunchly defended the most disadvantaged, from migrants and refugees to communities battered by climate change, which he warned was a crisis caused by humanity.
He changed the church’s position on the death penalty, calling it inadmissible in all circumstances, and declared the possession of nuclear weapons, not just their use, “immoral”.
His outreach to LGBTQ Catholics and his crackdown on traditionalists also helped provoke upset among conservatives over his progressive bent.
Meanwhile, progressives criticised him for reaffirming the all-male, celibate priesthood and upholding the church’s opposition to abortion, equating it to “hiring a hitman to solve a problem”.
His greatest test came in 2018 when he botched a notorious case of clergy sexual abuse in Chile, and the scandal that festered under his predecessors erupted anew on his watch.
Francis suffered increasingly poor health, from colon surgery in 2021 and a hernia in June 2023 to bouts of bronchitis and knee pain that forced him to use a wheelchair.
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