Pope Francis has died aged 88, just a day after he made a frail public appearance for Easter Sunday.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,” said Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, in the announcement.
The Pope, who suffered ill health for much of his adult life, spent five weeks in hospital from February into March, as he was treated for double pneumonia.
Latin America’s first pontiff and the first Jesuit to hold the office, the Argentinian Pope Francis was elected in 2013 with a mandate to clean house at the Vatican after a damaging series of scandals.
Pope Francis proved to be a progressive leader, pushing the Catholic Church to the left on a variety of issues, including LGBTQ issues, migration and climate change.
In recent weeks, he spoke out against the new Trump administration’s policies, especially the policy of mass deportations. He urged Catholics “not to give in to narratives that discriminate” against migrants and refugees.
As well as addressing the faithful on Sunday, Pope Francis met Vice President JD Vance, who is himself a Catholic.
The College of Cardinals will now elect a new pope, probably within the next three to four weeks.
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