Pope Francis has died at the age of 88 after a prolonged illness, the Vatican announced on Monday. The pontiff, who was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, became pope in 2013 after his predecessor, Benedict XVI, resigned.
The pope had suffered various ailments in his 12-year papacy. The last few months of his papacy had been marked by several hospital visits and concerns about his health.
Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, was the first pope from the Americas.
Elected pontiff at age 76, he moved quickly to make an impact. Over 12 years, he had reorganized the Vatican's bureaucracy, written four major teaching documents, made 47 foreign trips to more than 65 countries, and created more than 900 saints.
Overall, Francis was widely seen as trying to open the staid global Church to the modern world.
Among major decisions, he had allowed priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis and has appointed women to serve as leaders of Vatican offices for the first time.
