Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has died. He was 88 years old at the time of his death.
He breathed his last at 7:35 am local time on Easter Monday (Monday).
Vatican authorities confirmed his death in a video message.
Born in Argentina, Pope Francis was the first Latin American and the first non-European pope. Before him, European popes had led Catholic Christians for more than a thousand years.
Pope Francis was recently hospitalized with severe pneumonia. He was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome on February 14. However, he survived the trip. The Pope was released from the hospital after five weeks of treatment. Then, on the occasion of Easter Sunday, he greeted thousands of people from the balcony of the Basilica in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Sunday and wished them a happy Easter.
According to media reports, Pope Francis was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs. He also suffered from other infections. Posse had pleurisy as a young man. At that time, his lung was partially removed. This increased his risk of contracting pneumonia. Source: Al-Jazeera, France 24, BBC