Pope Francis, an energetic reformer who inspired widespread devotion from Catholics but riled traditionalists, died on Monday aged 88.
The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, spent 38 days being treated for double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli hospital before seeming to recover, leaving the facility on March 23.
His death came just a day after he delighted the crowds of worshippers at the Vatican on Easter Sunday with an appearance, looking frail, on the balcony at Saint Peter's Basilica.
His death sets in motion centuries-old traditions that will culminate in the gathering of a conclave of cardinals to choose a successor.
In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by the camerlengo, a senior cardinal, currently Dublin-born Kevin Farrell.
At the Vatican on Monday, a hush seemed to descend on the normally boisterous Saint Peter's Square as the sound of bells rang out.
Tour groups continued to walk through the sprawling plaza as quiet groups of people leaned against a barricade to pray.
'Humble pastor'
Francis, whose real name was Jorge Bergoglio, was the first Jesuit to lead the world's almost 1.4 billion Catholics and the first from the Americas.
A football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires who was often happiest among his flock, Francis sought to forge a more open and compassionate Church.
World leaders praised him for having strongly defended social justice, the rights of migrants and the environment.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Francis had "inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate".
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said "a great man has left us" in a statement, while French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Francis for being always "on the side of the most vulnerable and the most fragile".
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Francis's "commitment to peace, social justice and the most vulnerable leaves a profound legacy" and Germany's incoming chancellor describing him as "guided by humility and faith".
US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert who briefly met Francis on Sunday while on a trip to Rome with his family, said his "heart goes out" to Christians during a visit to India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the late pontiff as a "beacon of compassion".
UN chief Volker Turk said Francis was "a profoundly caring" pope who pushed "for justice, peace and human dignity".
Italy's Serie A football league called off all the day's matches.
Francis's pontificate was also marked by pushing through governance reforms and tackling the scourge of clerical sex abuse of children.
But critics accused him of creating doctrinal confusion and failing to defend traditional Catholic beliefs on key issues such as abortion and divorce.
Francis's desire to chart a different path was evident right to the end, with his decision to be buried not in St Peter's Basilica but in Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore basilica.
He will become the first pope in more than 100 years to be laid to rest outside the Vatican.
Francis also rejected the tradition of popes having three coffins, instead choosing to buried in just one, made of wood and zinc, to reflect his role as a humble pastor.
Health issues
Francis had maintained a busy schedule, right up to hosting the prime minister of Slovakia shortly before his hospital admission.
The pope, who had part of his lung removed as a young man, was visibly breathless in the days before going to the Gemelli, delegating aides to read his homilies at public audiences.
Questions will now be asked whether the pontiff, known for being stubborn and refusing to take rest, should have been admitted to hospital earlier.
Even after he was released from hospital and ordered to rest for two months, Francis did not wait long before making public appearances.
He had been admitted to hospital with a respiratory infection in March 2023. That same year he also underwent surgery for a hernia, and in 2021 he had colon surgery.
He suffered knee pain that required him to use a wheelchair, and had fallen twice in recent months.
Yet he never took a day off and made frequent trips abroad, including a four-nation Asia-Pacific tour only last September.
Huge crowds gathered wherever he went, a testament to his popularity and human touch, which saw him finish his Sunday Angelus prayer each week urging followers to pray for him and to have a good lunch.
© Agence France-Presse
