Francis, who emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, died on Monday morning, the Vatican announced.

Rome — Pope Francis, who challenged deeply rooted norms and made it his mission to change the perception of the Catholic Church around the world, has died at the age of 88. The Vatican said Pope Francis died just after 7:30 a.

Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, head of the Vatican’s health department, revealed the pontiff’s cause of death and noted that in addition to the cerebral stroke, the 88-year-old pope was suffering from pneumonia in both lungs, which caused episodes of respiratory insufficiency, according to AP.