The Vatican says
Monrovia- BBC is reporting that Catholic Pope Francis has died at age 88 in the Vatican.
He died at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
Monrovia– BBC is reporting that Catholic Pope Francis has died at age 88 in the Vatican.
He died at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church,” Cardinal Farrell says.
According to the BBC, World leaders have been paying tribute.
French President Emmanuel Macron is among the first world leaders to pay tribute to Pope Francis, calling him a “man of humility, on the side of the most vulnerable and most fragile”.
French President Emmanuel Macron called him a “man of humility” and Dutch PM Dick Schoof describing him as a “role model for Catholics and non-Catholics alike”
Accordingly his death comes a day after he appeared in St Peter’s Square to wish “Happy Easter” to thousands of worshippers.
He came out in a wheelchair and waved from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to cheering crowds and said: “Dear brothers and sisters, happy Easter.”
His traditional Easter address and blessing was read by an aide while he sat, watching.
Following the blessing, he was driven around the square. As he passed through the crowds, his procession paused a number of times as babies were brought over for him to bless.
What happens when the Pope dies?
A papal funeral has traditionally been an elaborate affair, but Pope Francis recently approved plans to make the whole procedure less complex.
Previous pontiffs were buried in three nested coffins made of cypress, lead and oak.
Pope Francis has opted for a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc.
He has also scrapped the tradition of placing the Pope’s body on a raised platform – known as a catafalque – in St Peter’s Basilica for public viewing.
Instead, mourners will be invited to pay their respects while his body remains inside the coffin, with the lid removed.
Francis will also be the first Pope in more than a Century to be buried outside the Vatican.
He will be laid to rest in the Basilica of St Mary Major, one of four major papal basilicas in Rome.
