Tributes Paid after Head of Catholic Church Pope Francis Dies aged 88

[Meatpie]

Tributes are being paid to Pope Francis after the confirmation of his death by the Vatican. He was aged 88.

Pope Francis died Monday morning, Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, announced.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,″ Farrell said in the announcement. “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for 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 God, One and Triune.″

Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on 14 February for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalisation of his 12-year papacy.

Pope Francis marked Easter Sunday by blessing thousands of people who had gathered for mass in St Peter’s Square and then embarking on a surprise popemobile tour around the piazza on Sunday.

The 88-year-old pontiff did not celebrate mass in the square, delegating the service instead to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica.

Francis was diagnosed with bronchitis in early February, but had continued to hold daily audiences in his Vatican hotel suite, and even presided at an outdoor Mass on Sunday 9 February.

Pope Francis: tributes paid after head of Catholic church dies aged 88 – latest updates

Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who was revered by millions of Catholics around the world, has died after a respiratory illness

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