Pope Francis dies
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution.
He was 88 and had survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican's TV channel.
Francis' death comes a day after the pope had made his first prolonged public appearance since being discharged on 23 March from a 38-day hospital stay for pneumonia.
On Easter Sunday, Francis entered St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile shortly after midday, greeting cheering crowds.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on 13 March 2013, surprising many church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
He was 88 and had survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican's TV channel.
Francis' death comes a day after the pope had made his first prolonged public appearance since being discharged on 23 March from a 38-day hospital stay for pneumonia.
On Easter Sunday, Francis entered St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile shortly after midday, greeting cheering crowds.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on 13 March 2013, surprising many church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
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