Sri Lanka, April 21 -- Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Monday (Apr 21) at the age of 88.

The Vatican announced his death on Monday, stating that the pope had died at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta.

"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 7.35am this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father."

The Argentine pontiff had been recovering at the Santa Marta guesthouse. He was hospitalised for five weeks earlier this year with life-threatening pneumonia. While in hospital, he almost died twice.

The double ...