Pope Francis dead at 88 Just after Having Met VP Vance

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday aged 88 

Over the past year, the Pope repeatedly criticized Israel during its war against Hamas, accusing it of crimes, genocide, and bombing children

The Pontiff spent his final hours with faithful, emerging to bless thousands of people in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday after briefly meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, announced that Francis had died at 7.35am local time (5.35am GMT) in a statement.

Francis had only recently left hospital under 'protected discharge' after suffering an infection that developed into pneumonia in both lungs earlier this year.

The Conclave - where cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican to choose a successor - will not happen for at least 15 days. 

Francis's body will lie in state in St Peter's Basilica during an official mourning period, and then - in contrast to most of his predecessors - he will be buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome's Esquilino neighbourhood.

Francis just yesterday greeted the Catholic faithful who had gathered to see him at St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday. He delivered his 'Urbi et Orbi' benediction from a balcony overlooking the square following mass to mark the high holiday.

On his way to the basilica, Francis met briefly with US Vice President JD Vance, who was spending Easter in Rome with his family. The Vatican said the encounter was 'brief' and lasted a few minutes.

Francis became the first pope from outside Europe in 1,300 years when he was chosen to replace the retiring Pope Benedict XVI. 

Despite several previous health issues and reduced mobility caused in part by his advancing years and expanding waistline, Francis had kept up a busy schedule until his final weeks.

In September 2024, he carried out a 12-day tour across south-east Asia and Oceania that included visits to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Singapore. 

Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, will be remembered for his comparatively liberal attitudes on some subjects that made him both popular and controversial.

He expressed tolerance towards divorcees, allowed priests to bless same-sex couples under certain circumstances, and put concern for the environment at the heart of his papacy.

And he said in 2023 that transgender people could be baptised as long as it did not cause a scandal or 'confusion'.   

But he did stand firm on the subject of abortion. In a text signed by Francis that was released by the Vatican last year, terminations were described as 'an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense'.