Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church who made history as a liberal reformer, dies aged 88

An elderly white man in a white gown and skull cap smiles as he waves in the direction of the camera.

Pope Francis in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square in 2022. (AP Photo: Andrew Medichini)

In short:

Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88.

Francis had been in a critical condition in hospital in Rome receiving treatment for double pneumonia before being discharged on March 23.

What’s next?

Cardinals, including Australia’s Mykola Bychok, will now be summoned to Rome to choose Francis’s successor.

Pope Francis died on Monday aged 88, a day after making a much hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the Vatican said in a statement.

“Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in the statement published by the Vatican on its Telegram channel.

“This morning at 7:35 am [local time] the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.

“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church.”

Francis’s death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance on the balcony at Saint Peter’s Basilica despite still convalescing after a severe illness.

Francis had come close to dying twice earlier this year while suffering from pneumonia.

Pope Francis sitting on a white chair during a service.

Francis was the first pope to be born or raised outside Europe since the Syrian-born Pope Gregory III in AD 731. (Reuters: Ciro De Luca)

He spent 38 days in hospital before he was released on March 23.

On Sunday he wished the crowds on Saint Peter’s Square a “Happy Easter” as he waved and in his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”) benediction he called for freedom of thought and tolerance.

Francis was known as a liberal reformer, making headlines across the globe by permitting the blessing of same-sex couples and promoting global action on climate change.

Francis worked as as, a janitor and a chemical technician in the food-processing industry before entering the seminary.

He was outspoken about clergy abuse and called on the Catholic Church to “act decisively” against paedophile priests just months after his 2013 appointment.

What happens now?

Cardinals, including Australia’s Mykola Bychok, will now be summoned to Rome to choose Francis’s successor.

According to tradition, the pope’s death will be ritually confirmed by Vatican officials, and nine days of mourning will be declared.

The burial usually happens between the fourth and the sixth day. Popes are usually buried at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, but Francis had said he wanted to be interred in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, outside the Vatican’s walls.

Once in Rome, cardinals will go through the process of a papal conclave to vote on the next pope.

Cardinals are forbidden from having any contact with anyone outside the conclave, at risk of excommunication.

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