India, April 21 -- Pope Francis, the Argentinian pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for nearly 12 years, died on Monday. He was 88.

"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 on Monday. "At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father." Follow live updates.

Last month, the pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. He spent 38 days in the hospital, the longest hospitalisation of his 12-year papacy.

The Catholic Church will now begin the process of electing a new leader. The election of a pope follows a ...