Pope Francis has passed away at the age of 88.
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta.
Pope Francis spent part of Easter Sunday St Peter's Square in his popemobile.
"Happy Easter," said the Argentine pope in a weak voice from his wheelchair on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, to the great joy of the crowd in the flower-filled square below.
AFP reported that after giving his Easter greetings to the crowd, estimated at more than 35,000 people, from the basilica's balcony, Francis delegated the reading of his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and the World") benediction to an associate.
History of illness
In February, Pope Francis was rushed to Rome's Agostino Germelli Hospital after suffering from a respiratory tract infection.
On Valentine's Day he was experiencing a slight fever. He also underwent various medical checks and asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity, which required the administration of high-flow oxygen. He was diagnosed with double pneumonia.
According to Vatican News, in 1957, in his early 20s, Pope Francis underwent surgery in his native Argentina to remove a portion of his lung that had been affected by a severe respiratory infection.
As he aged, Pope Francis frequently suffered bouts of respiratory illnesses, even cancelling a planned visit to the United Arab Emirates in November 2023 due to influenza and lung inflammation.
Biography
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936. The son of Italian immigrants, his father was an accountant for the railway service while his mother was a stay-at-home mother who took care of her five children.
Before choosing priesthood, Pope Francis graduated as a chemical technician. He entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in 1958 and went on to complete his humanities studies in Chile before returning to Argentina where he graduated with a degree in philosophy from the Colegio de San José in San Miguel.
He also taught literature and psychology and later studied theology and obtained his degree.
He was later appointed Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina, then served as the Rector of the Colegio de San José. Pope Francis also travelled to Germany to complete his doctoral thesis and was sent by his superiors to Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires and next to the Jesuit Church in the city of Córdoba as spiritual director and confessor.
After much work with various sectors within the church, he was elected Supreme Pontiff in March 2013.
Values
Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, said Pope Francis's entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.
"He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalised.
"With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God," he said.