Pope Francis. Image: Ricardo Perna/ Shutterstock
Pope Francis dies aged 88
ROME, 5 days ago
Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday.
He was 88, and had survived a serious bout of double pneumonia,a Reuters report said.
"Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican's TV channel.
"At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father."
Francis' death comes a day after the pope had made his first prolonged public appearance since being discharged on March 23 from a 38-day hospital stay for pneumonia.
On Sunday, Easter day, Francis had entered St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile shortly after mid-day, greeting cheering crowds. He had also offered a special blessing for the first time since Christmas, the Reuters report noted.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, surprising many church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
