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• has died at age 88, theannounced.
• He was the first South American Pope, elected on March 13, 2013.
• Prime Minister Christopher Luxon praised his commitment to the vulnerable and interfaith dialogue.

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, the Vatican has announced.

Francis had been suffering from recent health struggles after being hospitalised in February due to a severe respiratory illness.

Initially admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for bronchitis, his condition progressed to double pneumonia.

After receiving intensive medical care, he was discharged on March 23.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell revealed his death in a statement issued by the Vatican.

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” he said.

“At 7.35am this morning (local time), the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church.

“He taught us to live the values ​​of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised.

“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”

In a post on the social media platform X, the Vatican said the pontiff had died in his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.

Who was Pope Francis

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected Pope on March 13 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

The Pope will go down in history as a radical pontiff, a champion of underdogs who forged a more compassionate Catholic Church while stopping short of overhauling centuries-old dogma.

Dubbed “the people’s Pope”, the Argentine pontiff loved being among his flock and was popular with the faithful, though he faced bitter opposition from traditionalists within the Church.

The first pope from the Americas and the southern hemisphere, he staunchly defended the most disadvantaged, from migrants to communities battered by climate change, which he warned was a crisis caused by humankind.

But while he confronted head-on the global scandal of sex abuse by priests, survivors’ groups said concrete measures were slow in coming.

From his election in March 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was eager to make his mark as the leader of the Catholic Church.

He became the first pope to take the name Francis after Saint Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century mystic who renounced his wealth and devoted his life to the poor.

“How I would like a poor church for the poor,” he said three days after his election as the 266th pope.

He was a humble figurehead who wore plain robes, eschewed the sumptuous papal palaces and made his own phone calls, some of them to widows, rape victims or prisoners.

The football-loving former archbishop of Buenos Aires was also more accessible than his predecessors, chatting with young people about issues ranging from social media to pornography - and talking openly about his health.

Francis always left the door open to retiring like his predecessor Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to step down.

After Benedict died in December 2022, Francis became the first sitting pope in modern history to lead a papal funeral.

He suffered increasingly poor health, from colon surgery in 2021 and a hernia in June 2023 to bouts of bronchitis and knee pain that forced him to use a wheelchair.

His fourth hospitalisation, of more than a month for bronchitis in both lungs, was his longest, raising speculation he might step down.

But he brushed off talk of quitting, saying in February 2023 that papal resignations should not become “a normal thing”.

In a 2024 memoir, he wrote that resignation was a “distant possibility” justified only in the event of “a serious physical impediment”.

World reacts to Pope’s death

World leaders have reacted to the news with sorrow.

“I am saddened to hear of the passing of Pope Francis,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.

“A man of humility, his legacy includes an unwavering commitment to the vulnerable, to social justice and to interfaith dialogue.

“My thoughts are with Catholics and all those in New Zealand and around the world who mourn.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters said: “On behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand, we extend our deepest condolences to the Holy See and the global Roman Catholic community on the passing of Pope Francis.

“We join in mourning his loss and honour his enduring legacy of humility and compassion.”

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark also posted on X to express her sadness.

“Respected globally for his dedication to peace & justice. He also made history as the 1st Pope from Latin America. May Pope Francis rest in peace now.”

French President Emmanuel Macron called him a “man of humility, on the side of the most vulnerable and most fragile”.

New Zealand Catholics mourn Pope Francis’ death

Auckland Bishop Steve Lowe said Catholics across New Zealand are praying for the soul of Pope Francis.

“While he didn’t set foot on our shores, we know the deep love that Pope Francis had for the Catholic faithful scattered across the world,” said Bishop Lowe, who is president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.

Bishop Lowe said one of Pope Francis’ lasting legacies will be his encouragement for the Church to be a place of listening, of dialogue and of discernment.

“The Holy Father reminded us of the importance of walking together as the entire People of God – lay people, religious women and men, and clergy – following the path of Jesus,” he said.

Bishop Lowe said Catholic communities across New Zealand will be holding special Masses to allow people to pray for Pope Francis.

“There is an obvious and an enduring connection that we Catholics have with Pope Francis, but we invite our Christian brothers and sisters, other people of faith and people who are searching to join us in lifting up our departed brother in prayer,” he said.

“In that sense, we are following the Church’s practice of praying for any person who has died – albeit a Pope on this occasion."

Timeline of Pope Francis’ life

Here are some key dates in the life of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American pope, who died on Monday aged 88:

- December 17, 1936: Jorge Mario Bergoglio is born in Buenos Aires to an accountant and a housewife from an Italian emigrant family.

- September 21, 1953: Receives his calling to become a priest. He later described being moved to go to church while heading to a school event, a day that “changed my life”.

- 1957: Undergoes an operation to remove part of his lung.

- March 11, 1958: After studying chemical engineering at university, he joins the Jesuit order as a novice.

- December 13, 1969: Ordained as a priest. On July 31, 1973, he becomes leader of Argentina’s Jesuits, a position he holds for six years.

- 1980: Amid tensions in the Jesuit order, returns to work as parish priest and rector at a college in San Miguel, near the capital. In 1986 he goes to Germany and later, Argentina’s second city Cordoba. He returns to Buenos Aires in 1992 as auxiliary bishop.

- February 28, 1998: Appointed archbishop of Buenos Aires.

- February 21, 2001: Made cardinal by John-Paul II.

- March 13, 2013: Elected 266th pope after his predecessor Benedict XVI resigns. He chooses the name Francis in reference to Francis of Assisi, patron saint of the poor.

- July 8, 2013: Makes first trip outside Rome to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a major gateway to Europe for migrants, where he castigates the “globalisation of indifference.” Three years later, he will bring back 12 families from a migrant camp in Lesbos, Greece.

- July 11, 2013: Launches a reform of the Vatican’s penal code to fight sexual abuse against minors and corruption within the Church.

- July 29, 2013: Signals a more tolerant church when he says on a flight back from Brazil that “if someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?”

- June 18, 2015: Francis publishes his second encyclical, “Laudato Si’” dedicated to environmentalism. The letter urges action against climate change.

- February 12, 2016: Holds a historic meeting with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, nearly 1,000 years after the schism between the Eastern Church and Rome.

- May 23, 2016: Historic audience at the Vatican with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo’s prestigious Al-Azhar mosque.

- April 11, 2018: Francis acknowledges “grave errors” in his handling of child sexual abuse cases in Chile and asks for forgiveness.

- September 22, 2018: Francis announces the first-ever agreement between China and the Holy See over bishop appointments.

- March 27, 2020: As much of Europe shuts down due to coronavirus, Francis delivers an “Urbi et Orbi” address alone in a deserted St Peter’s Square.

- October 21, 2020: In a documentary, says he is in favour of same-sex civil unions.

- March 6, 2021: During the first ever papal visit to Iraq, meets the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

- July 4, 2021: Undergoes successful colon surgery, spending 10 days in hospital.

- June 5, 2022: New Apostolic Constitution comes into force, completing a major reform of the governance of the church that he began when he took office.

- January 5, 2023: Presides over the funeral of Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Square.

- March 29, 2023: Admitted to hospital for a respiratory infection, and stays three nights.

- June 7, 2023: Admitted to hospital for hernia surgery, staying nine nights.

- September 3, 2024: Embarks on epic, 12-day voyage, the farthest of his papacy, to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore -- at age 87.

- February 14, 2025: Admitted to hospital with bronchitis, which turns into double pneumonia.

NZ Herald with additional reporting AFP