Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88

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 division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution.

He was 88, and had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.

“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican’s TV channel.

“At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, surprising many Church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.

He sought to project simplicity into the grand role and never took possession of the ornate papal flat in the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors, saying he preferred to live in a community setting for his “psychological health”.