As it happened: Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church dies at 88

That’s where we will wrap up tonight’s blog. Please join us across here for Tuesday’s ongoing coverage of the death of 88-year-old Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church.

Here is a quick recap of events so far:

• The Vatican said Pope Francis died at 7.35am (local time) on Monday. He had recently been seriously ill and had been recovering following hospitalisation for pneumonia.
• The Vatican said plans for Pope Francis’ funeral would be announced on Tuesday. A funeral must take place four to six days after a pope’s death.
• Following the Pope’s death, cardinals from around the world will now descend on Rome to choose a new pope.
• Leaders from around the world have paid tribute to Francis, who was widely seen as a reforming pope.

• Francis was the first pope to be born or raised outside Europe in 12 centuries, the first from the Americas and the first Jesuit to hold the role. You can read a full obituary here.

A reminder that our coverage continues over here throughout Tuesday.

Our photographic team collated some of the best images of Pope Francis after the Vatican on Monday announced the pontiff’s death.

You can view the gallery below.

It’s still only morning – just after 9.40am – in Brazil, where President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has declared seven days of mourning for Pope Francis.

“Humanity loses today a voice of respect and welcome for others,” Lula said in a statement.

“May God comfort those who today, everywhere in the world, suffer the pain of this enormous loss. In his memory and in homage to his work, I decree a seven-day mourning in Brazil.”

Brazil has the largest number of Catholics of any country.

A crowd of some 3 million faithful turned out at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for a prayer vigil on the final night of Francis’ visit as Pope in 2013.

Crowds gather on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro during Pope Francis’ final Mass on his trip to Brazil in 2013.Credit: Getty Images

Reuters

Argentines, fresh from holding Easter family gatherings around the parrilla barbecue, have woken to the news that Pope Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, has died.

Born in Buenos Aires as Jorge Bergoglio in 1936 to Italian immigrant parents, Francis was the first Latin American pope. Some in his homeland regretted that he never returned as pontiff, but he gained plaudits for his focus on the poor.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Pope Francis, pictured in February last year. The pair had not always seen eye to eye.Credit: Vatican Media

“It is with profound sorrow that I learned this sad morning that Pope Francis, Jorge Bergoglio, passed away today and is now resting in peace,” Argentina’s President Javier Milei wrote in a message on social media platform X.

Milei, a bombastic economist strongly in favour of free markets, had clashed with the Pope previously, lambasting him as a socialist and even calling him the devil’s representative on earth, though patched things up once in office.

Argentina’s presidency office praised Pope Francis’ focus on interreligious dialogue, along with his efforts building up spirituality among young people, and for pushing cost-cutting in the Vatican, something that tallies with Milei’s “chainsaw” austerity.

“Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his goodness and wisdom was a true honour for me,” Milei added on X.

“I bid farewell to the Holy Father and stand with all of us who are today dealing with this sad news.”

Reuters

US President Donald Trump has used his social media site Truth Social to post a tribute to Pope Francis.

Trump posted: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

The US president joins a host of world leaders to have paid tribute to the Pope since the Vatican announced his death.

Donald Trump, pictured in May 2017 – during his first term as US president – with Pope Francis at the Vatican.Credit: AP

The White House had earlier posted to its official accounts in honour of Pope Francis.

US Vice President J.D. Vance had been among the last world leaders to meet the Pope, having visited the Vatican over the Easter weekend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country grieves together with Catholics and Christians who looked to Pope Francis for spiritual support.

“He knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians,” Zelensky wrote on X.

“Eternal memory!”

Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose country has nearly 30 million Christians who make up 2.3 per cent of the population, shared touching photos with the Pope in an online tribute.

Modi said Francis would always be remembered “as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage” by millions across the world.

“From a young age, he devoted himself towards realising the ideals of Lord Christ. He diligently served the poor and downtrodden. For those who were suffering, he ignited a spirit of hope,” Modi said.

AP

Flags are flying at half-mast in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Italy to mourn the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, a public holiday.

The faithful have gathered in St Peter’s Square, where bells are tolling in mourning.

The Vatican has also postponed a planned ceremony for the Catholic Church to proclaim the first saint from the Millennial generation, following the Pope’s death.

Carlo Acutis, an Italian boy who died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was originally set to be made a saint at a ceremony in St Peter’s Square on April 27.

AP, Reuters

The first formal liturgical ritual for Francis will occur at 8pm on Monday (4am Tuesday, AEST), with the confirmation of the Pope’s death and the placement of the body in the coffin.

The Vatican released the announcement from Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of liturgical ceremonies. The presiding prelate is Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo who has taken over the administration of the Holy See and will remain in charge until a new pope is elected.

Pilgrims, one holding a cross, walk in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican soon after Pope Francis’ death was announced.Credit: AP

Those invited to attend the ceremony, which will take place in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where Francis lived, are the dean of the College of Cardinals, any relatives of the Pope, and the director and vice director of the Vatican’s health department.

According to the new rites and rituals Francis approved last year, his body will remain in the chapel for a few days before being brought for public viewing in St Peter’s Basilica. After that, there will be the funeral and conclave to elect a new pope.

AP

The Women’s Ordination Conference shared a note of criticism about Pope Francis, saying they were frustrated by his unwillingness to push for the ordination of women.

“While we will continue to experience the gifts of Pope Francis’ openness to reform, we lament that this did not extend to an openness to the possibility of women in ordained ministry,” the conference said.

“His repeated ‘closed-door’ policy on women’s ordination was painfully incongruous with his otherwise pastoral nature, and for many, a betrayal of the synodal, listening church he championed. This made him a complicated, frustrating, and sometimes heartbreaking figure for many women.”

It said it had long prayed that Francis would be transformed by the testimonies of women sharing their sincere calls from God to ordained ministry and guide the church toward embracing the fullness of women’s equality.

“Yet when it came to the topic of women in ministry, he seemed stuck in bad theology and outdated tropes.”

AP

Religious leaders in Australia and abroad have paid tribute to Pope Francis, praising his wit and sense of hope. See what they have had to say about the Pope’s death below.

Archbishop of Melbourne: Pope was a father to the poor

Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli said as the church entered Easter filled with light and hope, it was with deep sadness it received news of the Pope’s death.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) together with Monsignor Stuart Hall (left) departs St Patrick’s Cathedral after paying his respects following the death of Pope Francis.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“Pope Francis, who came from the peripheries of the world, has been a father of the poor, and a witness of joy and hope. May the Lord, he so faithfully trusted in, now welcome him into eternal life,” Comensoli said.

St Patrick’s Cathedral Melbourne will open early on Tuesday morning, so people can pray for and remember the Pope.

Archbishop of Sydney: Australians will share in Catholics’ grief

The Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, said Francis was “rather like an Australian” in his informal approach, noting that he was “very easy to talk to”. He recalled that after the death of his mother, Pope Francis remembered and expressed his condolences.

Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, spoke to the media from St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.Credit: Nine

Fisher said he’d received condolences from Jewish and Muslim leaders.“It will be all Australians that will share in the grief of Catholics that we have lost our chief pastor. And I think it’s a sign of something very beautiful about Australia that we do share in each other’s griefs and joys when they come.”

Head of the Church of England: Francis improved relations between religions

The acting head of the Church of England remembered Pope Francis’ wit, compassion and commitment to improving relations between the world’s religions.

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said Francis’ life was centred on service to the poor, compassion for migrants and asylum seekers and efforts to protect the environment.

“I remember, in the brief times I spent with him, how this holy man of God was also very human,” Cottrell said in a statement. “He was witty, lively, good to be with, and the warmth of his personality and interest in others shone out from him.”

With AP