Pope Francis on the main balcony of St Peter's basilica for the Urbi et Orbi message and blessing to the city and the world as part of Easter celebrations, in the Vatican on 20 April, 2025. Photo: AFP/ Tiziana Fabi
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution.
The pontiff's death came a day after he made a much hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter's Square on Easter Sunday.
He was 88, and had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.
Pope Francis in his open coffin during the rite of the Confirmation of the Death of the Pontiff at the Chapel of Santa Marta in The Vatican. Photo: AFP/Vatican Media
Cardinal Kevin Farrell will preside over a rite at on Tuesday morning (NZT) when the pope's body will be placed into a casket.
Tributes for Francis poured in from around the world, with many leaders praising his humility. His native Argentina ordered seven days of mourning, as did neighbouring Brazil.
"The pope of the poor has left us, the pope of the marginalised," said Jorge Garcia Cuerva, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, a position Francis once held.
Francis had on Sunday made his first prolonged public appearance since being discharged from hospital on 23 March following a 38-day stay for pneumonia, occasionally waving to onlookers and greeting a child who was brought to his side.
In an Easter Sunday message read aloud by an aide as the pope looked on from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the pontiff had reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza - a conflict he had long railed against.
World leaders paid tribute to the pope, praised his efforts to reform the worldwide church and offered condolences to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
"Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him," said U.S. President Donald Trump, who the pope had criticised, especially for his hardline on immigration.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni mourned the departure of "a great man, a great shepherd".
The outspoken president of Argentina, Javier Milei, had clashed with the pope in the past, branding him at one point the devil's representative on earth. But he changed his tune after taking office in 2023 and mourned his death on Monday.
"Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his goodness and wisdom was a true honor for me," Milei said on X.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Francis as an outstanding man, the Kremlin said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he knew how to foster unity and give hope.
- Reuters
