Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88, the Vatican announced today.
Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, became the first Latin American pontiff in history when he was elected to the papacy in 2013.
Last month he was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital after a 38 day stay following a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia.
His death was confirmed just hours after a much hoped-for appearance at St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
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