VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88, the Vatican announced on Monday.
“This morning at 07:35 local time (05:35 GMT), the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in a statement published on the Vatican’s official Telegram channel.
His passing comes just a day after he appeared at St. Peter’s Square to deliver Easter greetings to thousands of worshippers.
Pope Francis had recently been discharged from hospital following five weeks of treatment for an infection that developed into double pneumonia.
With the Pontiff’s death, the governance of the Church now falls temporarily to the College of Cardinals, the body of the Church’s most senior officials.
According to the BBC, of the 252 cardinals, 138 are eligible to vote in the election of a new Pope.
The cardinals will be summoned to the Vatican for a formal meeting, followed by the papal conclave—the secretive and solemn process through which a new Pope will be chosen.