Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution.
He was 88 and had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia. “Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican’s TV channel. “At 7:35 am (10:35 PKT) this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”
