Pope Francis dies aged 88 ⁰

The Pope, who is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died at 07:35 local time on Easter Monday

World leaders pay tribute to his “contagious smile” and “boundless compassion”, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling him a “man of humility”

His death comes a day after he appeared in St Peter’s Square to wish “Happy Easter” to thousands of worshippers

He was recently discharged from hospital last month after five weeks of treatment for an infection.

The pontiff’s death not only follows the most important calendar event for Catholics, but falls into the special jubilee year, which comes around every 25 years.

The jubilee kicked off when the Pope opened the usually bricked-up Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica on 24 December, and sees millions of pilgrims descend on the Vatican to pass through the doorway and seek forgiveness for their sins.

Tens of thousands of Catholics had gathered for the Easter Mass in this special year.

Source: BBC