Pope Francis dies

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has passed away. He was 88 years old, Al Jazeera reports.

Born in Argentina, he was the first Latin American pope as well as the first non-European to serve for more than 1,000 years.

He was known for his simple words and humble manner that immediately won over the crowds.

After he assumed the papacy in 2013, Francis aimed to make the church more inclusive, opening up key roles to women and trying to address the issue of child sex abuse by Catholic clerics. Analysts, however, remain divided about the success of his efforts.

The 88-year-old pontiff was recovering from double pneumonia and was under doctors’ orders to observe two months of convalescence since he left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on March 23.

Francis suffered from a number of health issues throughout his life, including having part of one of his lungs removed at the age of 21.

He became increasingly fragile in recent years.

World leaders are paying tribute, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling him a “man of humility” and the Dutch PM describing him as a “role model for Catholics and non-Catholics alike”.

The Pope’s death comes fewer than 24 hours after he made an appearance at the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square for Easter Sunday.

He came out in a wheelchair and waved from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to cheering crowds and said: “Dear brothers and sisters, happy Easter.”

His traditional Easter address and blessing was read by an aide while he sat, watching.

Following the blessing, he was driven around the square. As he passed through the crowds, his procession paused a number of times as babies were brought over for him to bless.