Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by divisions and tensions as he sought to reform the shadowy institution.
He was 88 and had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.
“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with great sadness that we announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on Vatican television.
“This morning at 7:35 a.m., Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, returned to the residence of the
