Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday aged 88

Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, has died. The Vatican announced his death on Monday. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, an American, made the announcement, saying Francis "returned to the house of the Father" this morning.

People gathered in St. Peter's Square in Rome to mourn. Many were shocked, as Francis had appeared in public just the day before.

World leaders are sending their condolences, praising Francis for his dedication to helping the poor and those pushed to the side of society.

Now, the Catholic Church must choose a new leader. This decision is very important for the more than one billion Catholics around the world. The cardinals will have to decide if they want a pope who continues Francis's open and inclusive approach, or if they want to go back to a more traditional way of doing things.

Francis worked to address the church's issues with sexual abuse and financial problems. He believed the church should be welcoming to everyone, rather than isolated from the modern world. While his views were very popular early in his leadership, he continued to hold them even as they became less popular with world leaders. The next few days will show how much support his vision truly had within the church.