Tributes have been paid around the world to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday. The Vatican said he died following a stroke, less than 24 hours after appearing in a wheelchair at St Peter’s Square to lead an Easter address in front of thousands of worshipers.
Services have been held around the world as around 1.4bn Catholics begin to mark the Pope’s death.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell said the pope had "returned to the home of the Father…. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised."
The Vatican said Francis died after suffering a stroke and subsequent irreversible heart failure.
Francis will lie in state in St Peter’s Basilica, where mourners will be able to attend to pay their respects, before a funeral is held, which usually takes place within four to six days after a Pope dies. The Pope requested that some elements of the elaborate death rites which usually take place after a pontiff’s death be dispensed with, including using an ornate coffin and displaying his body on a raised platform.
In his final testament, released by the Vatican late on Monday, he asked to be buried in Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major. Many of his predecessors instead chose St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Francis’s death sets in motion the process of selecting a new Pope through an election known as a conclave. The College of Cardinals – the Church’s most senior officials – will be summoned to Rome to take part in the secretive vote. The Pope appointed cardinals from a broader range of geographic and theological backgrounds than some of his successors, which could make the outcome of the process more difficult to predict than usual.
Francis had endured bouts of ill-health in recent years, and was most recently discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on 23 March after being treated for pneumonia in both lungs. His doctors had advised a period of rest. However Francis continued to make some public appearances in his final weeks.
During his final public appearance on the balcony of St Peter’s basilica on Easter Sunday, Francis spoke briefly. His appearance on a key day in the Catholic calendar was celebrated by worshipers.
Tributes have poured in from around the globe. The acting head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of York, described him as a "holy man of God" who was "also very human". Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the Pope as a "great man" and said she had the privilege of enjoying his friendship, advice and teachings. King Charles III said in a statement that he was "deeply saddened" to hear of the Pope’s death and praised his "tireless commitment".
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer shared his condolences "to the whole of the Catholic Church" and called the pontiff a "Pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten".
US President Donald Trump wrote on social media: "Rest in peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!"
The Pope was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his parents had fled to from their native Italy to escape fascism.
In 2013, Francis’s predecessor Benedict XVI became the first Pope to retire voluntarily in almost 600 years – and for almost a decade, the Vatican was home to two Popes.
Francis was chosen to succeed him during the conclave that followed Benedict’s departure, and became the first non-European Pope since Syrian-born Gregory III, who died in 741.
Before becoming Pope Francis positioned himself as a compromise candidate by appealing to conservatives while attracting the reformers with his liberal stance on social justice. He supported the rights of refugees and migrants.
But on many of the Church’s teachings, Pope Francis was a traditionalist. He was at times supportive of some kind of same-sex unions for gay couples but did not favour calling it marriage. This, he said, would be "an attempt to destroy God’s plan". He took part in an anti-abortion march in Rome – calling for rights of the unborn "from the moment of conception".
Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, Aleem Maqbool, Joe Inwood, and Mark Easton.
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