Pope Francis has died aged 88, the Vatican announced a short while ago today (21).
The Pope, who was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died at 07:35 local time.
World leaders paid tribute to his “contagious smile” and “boundless compassion”, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling him a “man of humility”.
His death comes a day after he appeared in St Peter’s Square to wish “Happy Easter” to thousands of worshippers.
The Pontiff was recently discharged from hospital last month after five weeks of treatment for an infectionFrancis’s death sets in motion the centuries-old process of electing a new Pope
