Pope Francis dies at 88

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and the Vatican City, died on Monday, the Vatican said. He was 88.

Francis died at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.

For several weeks in February and March, Francis was being treated for pneumonia in both lungs at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. He had been discharged from hospital in March.

Born in Argentina as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis was the first pope from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere. He was elected as the pope at a papal conclave in March 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI resigned.

Francis was the archbishop of Buenos Aires between 1998 and 2013.

The death of Francis will prompt a conclave of the church’s cardinals to elect a successor.

Francis made women full members of some departments in the Church’s administrative system, criticised the rise of right-wing populism and included climate action as a priority for his papacy.

He called on the Church to be more sympathetic towards the LGBTQ+ community and allowed blessings to be administered to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of religious rituals or given in the context of civil unions or weddings.

In 2022, he apologised for the Church’s role in the “cultural genocide” of the indigenous communities in Canada.

This is a developing story. It will be updated as...

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