Pope Francis died on Easter Monday morning, aged 88, after battling bilateral pneumonia for two months.
Cardinal Kevin Farrel, the Pope’s Chamberlin broke the news at 9.45 am (Rome time) at the Casa Santa Marta.
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.” Cardinal Farrell stated.
He added, “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized.
“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 the One and Triune God.”
The Pope fell ill in February this year and was admitted at the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital for close to 40 days.
He was later discharged to recuperate at the Vatican residence where he breathed his last.
Pope Francis was last seen in the public on Sunday when he was wheeled to greet crowds from the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica.
Born in 1936 in Argentina, the Pope, whose official name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first to lead the Catholic Church from Latin America.
He was elected Pope on March 13 2023, in a move that surprised church insiders who saw him as an outsider.
Pope Francis visited Kenya in November 2015 with the Kenyan government declaring the day a public holiday for national prayer and reflection.
The late Francis will be remembered as the Pope of mercy and love for the lost sheep.
Following the demise of the Pope, Cardinal Farrell will on Monday preside over the rite of ascertainment of death and placement of the body in a coffin.
This will commence nine days of mourning rites even as the burial is decided by the cardinals.
While other popes have been interred in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis had wished to be buried in Rome’s Mary Major Basilica.
Election of a new pope is expected within 20 days after the death in a process done by cardinals under the age of 80.
A new pope is elected by a majority of at least two thirds plus one with the ballot papers burned with special chemicals to produce black smoke when there is no consensus and white smoke when the cardinals agree.
