site.btaPope Francis Dies Aged 88, Vatican Says

Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday quoted by Reuters.

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," Farrell said. 

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, Reuters said.