<\/p>\n
Pope Francis died on Monday aged 88, prompting mourning across the Christian world for the energetic reformer who inspired devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists during a 12-year papacy.<\/p>\n
Mourners gathered, many in tears, in St Peter\u2019s Square, where just a day earlier the the frail-looking pontiff had greeted worshippers on Easter Sunday, having recently left hospital following a 38-day battle with double pneumonia.<\/p>\n
World leaders paid tribute to Francis\u2019 moral and spiritual leadership and countries began preparations to mark his death, which will now set off a succession scramble among Cardinals to see who next will lead the world\u2019s 1.4 billion Catholics.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cDearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,\u201d said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a Vatican statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church,\u201d said the statement, released shortly before 10:00 am.<\/p>\n
His death sets in motion centuries-old traditions that will culminate in the gathering of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor.<\/p>\n
In the next four to six days the Vatican\u2019s cardinals will decide on the pope\u2019s funeral date, which must take place between four and six days after his death.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by the Camerlengo, a senior cardinal, who is currently Dublin-born Cardinal Farrell.<\/p>\n
Francis died in his apartment at the Saint Martha residence where he had lived since his election in March, 2013, the Vatican said.<\/p>\n
The cause of his death would \u201cprobably\u201d be shared after Francis\u2019s body is laid in its coffin in the Saint Martha chapel at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Monday, the Vatican said.<\/p>\n
Just before that, a public Rosary prayer was to be held in St Peter\u2019s Square, the Vatican said, adding that Francis\u2019s body would likely be transferred to St Peter\u2019s Basilica on Wednesday to lie in state.<\/p>\n
At the Vatican on Monday, a hush seemed to descend on the normally boisterous Saint Peter\u2019s Square as the death knell rang out.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lived this Easter and then he went,\u201d Cesarina Cireddu from Sardinia said with tears in her eyes. \u201cHe\u2019s actually returned to the Lord \u2014 and godspeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tour groups continued to walk through the sprawling plaza as quiet groups of people leaned against a barricade to pray.<\/p>\n
Venezuelan Riccardo Vielma, 31, who is studying to be a priest, said that \u201cwe have lost our spiritual father\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was everyone\u2019s pope,\u201d said Maria Chiorazzo, 59, who paid a visit to the square with her husband. \u201cHe was the only man of peace, in contrast to our rulers at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Francis, born in Argentina as Jorge Bergoglio, was the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic world and the first from the Americas.<\/p>\n
He took over after Benedict XVI became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down \u2014 and cut a sharply different figure from the German theologian.<\/p>\n
A football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires who was often happiest among his flock, Francis sought to forge a more open and compassionate Church.<\/p>\n
World leaders praised him for having strongly defended social justice and the rights of migrants.<\/p>\n
King Charles, who met Francis during a state visit earlier this month, said the pope had \u201cserved with such devotion\u201d.<\/p>\n
Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said \u201ca great man has left us\u201d in a statement.<\/p>\n
Argentina\u2019s President Javier Milei pointed to his compatriot\u2019s \u201cgoodness and wisdom\u201d despite their \u201cdifferences\u201d.<\/p>\n
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Francis had \u201cinspired millions\u2026 with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate\u201d.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump wrote \u201cRest in Peace\u201d on his Truth Social platform, and his predecessor Joe Biden, a Catholic, hailed \u201cone of the most consequential leaders of our time\u201d on X.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was grieving and Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the pope\u2019s promotion of dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic churches.<\/p>\n
Italy\u2019s Serie A football league called off all the day\u2019s matches and the country\u2019s Olympic committee called for all sporting events due to take place there on Monday to be postponed.<\/p>\n
Champions League holders Real Madrid held a minute\u2019s silence during training on Monday.<\/p>\n
Spain declared three days of mourning with Argentina announcing a full week.<\/p>\n
The bells at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris rang out 88 times and the city said the lights would be turned off at the Eiffel Tower on Monday evening.<\/p>\n
Francis\u2019s pontificate was also marked by pushing through governance reforms and tackling the scourge of clerical sex abuse of children.<\/p>\n
But critics accused him of creating doctrinal confusion and failing to defend traditional Catholic beliefs on key issues such as abortion and divorce.<\/p>\n
Francis\u2019s desire to chart a different path was evident right to the end, with his decision to be buried not in St Peter\u2019s Basilica but in Rome\u2019s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.<\/p>\n
He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.<\/p>\n
Francis also rejected the tradition of popes having three coffins, choosing instead to be buried in just one.<\/p>\n
Francis, who had part of his lung removed as a young man, had maintained a busy schedule before his latest hospital admission.<\/p>\n
Even after he was released from hospital and ordered to rest for two months, Francis, known for being stubborn, did not wait long before making public appearances, meeting King Charles and visiting a prison.<\/p>\n
But he was barely able to speak, and delegated the traditional Easter Sunday \u201cUrbi et Orbi\u201d (\u201cTo the City and the World\u201d) benediction to an associate, although he later toured Saint Peter\u2019s Square in his open-top popemobile, greeting worshippers.<\/p>\n
Despite a growing number of health problems, he never took a day off and made frequent trips abroad, including a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour only last September.<\/p>\n
Huge crowds gathered wherever he went, a testament to his popularity and human touch.<\/p>\n
When Francis took over, the Catholic Church was mired in infighting and beset by a global scandal over clerical sex abuse of children and decades of cover-ups.<\/p>\n
He promised an end to impunity and changed Vatican law to help tackle abuse, though victims said he could have gone further.<\/p>\n
He also initiated a major shake-up of the Vatican\u2019s powerful governing body that included improving financial responsibility and allowing lay Catholics to lead Vatican offices.<\/p>\n
Throughout his papacy, Francis championed the poor and vulnerable and emphasised love over doctrine.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?\u201d he said at the start of his papacy.<\/p>\n
However, his detractors accused him of failing to uphold established Church doctrine.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Rephrase in a different way as if you were a native American speaker as a content creation expert and do not talk about yourself or your experience in the text and do not show yourself as an artificial intelligence who wrote and fill the bullet point in the topic and speak the heart of the topic itself and dont take date of blog in ther first and dont take text like box of newsliter subscribe on post from content and romove all linke insert in content and and remove all affiliate disclosure phrases on content like this “This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links that allow us to earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our Disclosure Policy for more info” and “#” put in its place bullet point, and romove name of the web site or his links we are take a content from our new creation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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