India, April 21 -- Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died at the age of 88, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday.

"This morning at 7:35 am (0535 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father," said Cardinal Kevin Farrell in the statement.

Follow LIVE updates here

In his last address on Easter Sunday, he said, "There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hindustan Times....