Pope Francis is dead, Reuters reports, citing the Vatican.

He was 88 years old.

A few minutes ago, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the butler of the Holy Roman Church, regretfully announced the death of Pope Francis:

“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must inform you of the death of our Holy Father Francis.

Today at 7:35 a.m., Bishop Francis of Rome returned to the Father’s house. His entire life was dedicated to serving the Lord and His Church.

He taught us how to live the values of the Gospel faithfully, courageously and in a spirit of universal love, especially for the sake of the poorest and most marginalized.

With boundless gratitude for the example of a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the boundless merciful love of the Triune God.

Recall that the Pope has recently been seriously ill.

Pope Francis has a history of respiratory illness – in his youth he lost part of a lung due to pleurisy.

In 2023, the Pope also fell ill with severe pneumonia.