The China Mail - Global mourning as Pope Francis dies aged 88

The Argentine died on Monday morning at the Santa Marta residence where he lived, almost a month after leaving hospital following a five-week stay battling double pneumonia.

One day after he greeted Easter crowds in St Peter's Square in the Vatican, mourners gathered in the same place, many in tears, to mark his passing.

"He's actually returned to the Lord -- and godspeed," Italian Cesarina Cireddu told AFP at the Vatican.

World leaders from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin paid tribute to the pope's moral and spiritual leadership, and prayers were held around the world.

"We are orphaned," said street sweeper Javier Languenari, 53, in the pope's home city of Buenos Aires, as Argentina declared a week of national mourning.

According to the death certificate released by the Vatican, Francis died of a stroke, causing a coma and "irreversible" heart failure.

It also revealed he had Type 2 diabetes, which was not previously known.

Francis had been convalescing in the Santa Marta residence, where he had lived since his election in March 2013.

"Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," said Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

"This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church."

His body was set to be laid in a single coffin of wood and zinc in the Santa Marta chapel on Monday evening, before being transferred likely on Wednesday to St Peter's Basilica to lie in state.

The funeral must take place between four and six days after the death, before Francis is buried in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

In the meantime, the day-to-day running of the tiny Vatican City state will be handled by Farrell, who holds the job as Camerlengo, a senior cardinal.

But thoughts are already turning to who will succeed him as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, with a conclave of cardinals set to be called within three weeks.

- Bells toll -

At the Vatican on Monday, a hush seemed to descend on the normally boisterous St Peter's Square as the death knell rang out for the passing of Francis.

Caroline Wahl, visiting with her family from Germany, said the pope had looked "weak" when they saw him on Easter Sunday, adding that thinking about him now gave her "goosebumps".

The bells at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris in France rang out 88 times -- one for each year of the pope's life -- as well as in Mosul, in Iraq, where the pope visited in 2021.

In Gaza, where the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, the Christian community feels "as though a light of love and peace has been extinguished", said George Ayad, 67.

For Marlon Delgado in the Philippine capital Manila, "a feeling of sadness overwhelmed me", he told AFP.

- 'Beacon of compassion' -

Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio, was the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic world and the first from the Americas.

He took over after Benedict XVI became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down -- and cut a sharply different figure from the German theologian.

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.

He strongly defended social justice and the rights of migrants, and repeatedly called for action against climate change.

Throughout his papacy, Francis championed the poor and vulnerable and emphasised love over doctrine.

"If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?" he said at the start of his papacy.

However, his detractors accused him of failing to uphold established Church doctrine.

His views often clashed with those of politicians, but tributes came in from all corners of the globe.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him a "beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage", while Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called him a "great man".

Argentina's President Javier Milei -- who had before taking office accused Francis of being an "imbecile" who "promotes communism" pointed to his compatriot's "goodness and wisdom" despite their "differences".

His predecessor Joe Biden, a Catholic, hailed "one of the most consequential leaders of our time".

Italy's Serie A football league called off all the day's matches and the country's Olympic committee called for all sporting events due to take place there on Monday to be postponed.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Francis had "inspired" him to create a refugee team.

- Health issues -

Francis, who had part of his lung removed as a young man, almost died twice while in hospital with double pneumonia -- but still defied doctor's orders to take two months off after returning home.

Known for being stubborn, he made several appearances in public, including meeting King Charles and visiting a prison.

He later toured Saint Peter's Square in his open-top popemobile, greeting worshippers.

His hospital stay was the latest of a series of health issues, from colon and hernia surgery to problems walking, which saw him take to a wheelchair in recent years.

But 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.

- Church reforms -

When Francis took over, the Catholic Church was beset by infighting, and plagued by a global scandal over clerical sex abuse of children and decades of cover-ups.

However, critics accused him of creating doctrinal confusion and failing to defend traditional Catholic beliefs on key issues such as abortion and divorce.

On abuse, he promised an end to impunity and changed Vatican law to help tackle abuse, but victims' groups said his actions fell well short of the "zero-tolerance" he promised.

"In this realm, where Francis had supreme power, he refused to make the necessary changes," said campaigner Anne Barrett Doyle from BishopAccountability.org, complaining of a lack of external oversight and transparency.

"This choice is having devastating consequences for the Church's most powerless members. It will forever tarnish the legacy of this remarkable man."

O.Yip--ThChM