Pope Francis dies aged 88

Pope Francis, leader of the world’s 1.4bn Catholics, has died at the age of 88, the Vatican announced on Monday, weeks after he returned home from hospital having battled double pneumonia. In his last public appearance on Sunday, he had greeted the faithful to wish them a happy Easter, and also had a brief audience with US vice-president JD Vance. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a senior Vatican official, announced that the pope had died at 7.35am on Monday. “Dear brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” he said. “Francis has returned to the house of the Father.” The Argentine pontiff had been hospitalised in February and spent weeks undergoing treatment for respiratory problems. Since returning to the Vatican in late March, he had made brief public appearances but looked weak and frail, struggling to speak. During 12 years at the helm of the Catholic Church, Francis had sought to reform and revitalise a 2,000-year-old organisatio

Pope Francis, leader of the world’s 1.4bn Catholics, has died at the age of 88, the Vatican announced on Monday, weeks after he returned home from hospital having battled double pneumonia. In his last public appearance on Sunday, he had greeted the faithful to wish them a happy Easter, and also had a brief audience with US vice-president JD Vance. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a senior Vatican official, announced that the pope had died at 7.35am on Monday. “Dear brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” he said. “Francis has returned to