Pope Francis dies aged 88

Pontiff was first Catholic Pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula

World leaders send condolences after Pope's death

Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said on Monday. He was 88.

"This morning at 7.35am [5.35am GMT] the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father," Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in the statement.

The pontiff had suffered various ailments during his 12-year papacy. His tenure was marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the church.

World leaders' condolences

Leaders from around the globe offered their condolences.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed said: "I extend my deepest condolences to Catholics around the world on the passing of Pope Francis, who dedicated his life to promoting the principles of peaceful coexistence and understanding. May he rest in peace."

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said Pope Francis was "a great leader whose compassion and commitment to peace touched countless lives".

"His legacy of humility and interfaith unity will continue to inspire many communities around the world," Sheikh Mohammed said.

The UK's King Charles III said he was "most deeply saddened" and expressed his "most heartfelt condolences and profound sympathy to the church he served with such resolve".

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world."

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis and leader of the Catholic Church in 2013, has died at the age of 88. Getty Images

Pope Francis attends the funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in January 2023 at St Peter's Square in Vatican City. Getty Images

Pope Francis with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi in February 2019. Photo: Presidential Court

Pope Francis with King Hamad of Bahrain at Sakhir Palace, south of Manama, in November 2022. Reuters

Pope Francis leads Mass with the new cardinals in August 2022 in Vatican City. Getty

Pope Francis is driven in his specially designed vehicle to present his weekly address in June 2022. AP

Pope Francis conducts Mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in March 2021 in Erbil, Iraq. Getty Images

Pope Francis releases a white dove near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in the old city of Mosul, Iraq, in March 2021. AFP

Pope Francis arrives at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil in March 2021. Getty Images

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Zayed Sport City, Abu Dhabi, in February 2019. Getty Images

Pope Francis during the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum in March 2018 in Rome. Getty Images

Pope Francis at Easter Mass in St Peter's Square, Vatican City, in April 2017. Getty Images

Pope Francis meets migrants at the Moria detention centre in Lesbos, Greece, in April 2016. Getty Images

Pope Francis washes the feet of 12 migrants during Easter celebrations in Rome in 2016. Getty Images

Pope Francis greets the faithful as he holds his weekly audience in St Peter's Square in 2014. Getty Images

Pope Francis prays by the Western Wall in Jerusalem in May 2014. Getty Images

A newly elected Pope Francis waves from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City in March 2013. Getty Images

Pope John Paul II names Jorge Mario Bergoglio as cardinal in St Peter's Square in February 2001. Getty Images

Jorge Bergoglio, before he became known as Pope Francis, with his mother Maria Regina Sivori and father Mario Jose Bergoglio in Buenos Aires in 1958. AFP

Jorge Bergoglio with his family. AP

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said the pontiff "inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate".

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid said the Pope’s death meant “the entire world loses a unique religious and humanitarian figure, one who, throughout his life, rendered invaluable services to the causes of peace, poverty, and religious tolerance".

The Holy See announced the Pope's death after more than two weeks of treatment in hospital for bronchitis. Doctors at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome had diagnosed pneumonia in both lungs and reported a "complex clinical picture".

Despite "slight" incremental improvements in the Pope's condition last week, according to the Vatican, he suffered a setback that required him to use a "non-invasive mechanical ventilation" before two episodes of acute respiratory failure on Monday.

The Argentinian pontiff, the first pope in more than 1,000 years from outside Europe, cancelled weekly audiences and events linked to the Vatican's Jubilee Year.

Arab world outreach

Although Pope Francis's health grew increasingly frail over his 12-year papacy he had maintained a busy schedule of foreign trips, breaking new ground for a pope with historic visits to the UAE, Bahrain and Iraq. After a break for Covid-19, he resumed his pastoral travel with a journey to former ISIS strongholds in Iraq in 2021, during which he prayed in the Old City of Mosul.

His visit to the UAE in 2019 was the first such visit by a Catholic Pope to the Arabian Peninsula. The historic visit marked stronger ties with the Muslim and Arab worlds.

A former archbishop of Buenos Aires, who was known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio before his election to the papacy, Pope Francis was the first pontiff from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope and the first non-European pontiff since the eighth century. He was elected pope in 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his office.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, receives Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, at the Presidential Airport in Abu Dhabi in 2020. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Gaza war

He spoke out regularly against conflict around the globe and last December used a Christmas address to highlight the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, describing the humanitarian situation as "extremely grave". Throughout much of the war between Israel and Hamas, he made frequent phone calls to the Holy Family Church in Gaza city to ask after the welfare of Christians taking refuge there.

During his papacy the Vatican joined Muslim leaders to fashion the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity, which was signed in Abu Dhabi to promote dialogue and understanding between the Christian and Islamic faiths. His UAE trip included a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a private visit to St Joseph’s Cathedral and a historic Holy Mass at Zayed Sports City Stadium, an event attended by 150,000 people.

Health problems

The Pope struggled with breathing difficulties in the days before his admission to hospital, and had to ask aides several times to read speeches on his behalf.

Pope Francis had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man and has been particularly susceptible to respiratory infections. In 2023 he spent three nights in hospital with bronchitis and later that year he cancelled a trip to Dubai for the Cop28 climate summit because of ill health.

By centuries-old tradition, a new pope will be elected by the church's College of Cardinals at a Vatican conclave, with white smoke rising from the chimney when a successor has been chosen. In recent cases it has typically taken a matter of weeks to elect a new pope, although in centuries gone by it sometimes took months or even years.