More reaction now from religious leaders around the world.

• Moscow's Patriarchate says Pope Francis played a "significant role in active development of contacts between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church", Russian news agency Tass reports
• The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem says a mass will take place at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre on Wednesday
• The Jesuits in Britain says it is "grateful for the gift of Pope Francis's leadership"

We'll continue to bring you the latest reaction as we get it.

Davide Ghiglione
Reporting from the Vatican

The announcement of the Pope's death this morning triggered a wave of emotion here in Rome.

As I headed to the Vatican, I passed people crying on the street as crowds flocked to St Peter's Square to pay their respects.

The Pope was a beloved figure who could reach people around the world. His messages about the plight of migrants and the poor resonated widely.

He could also talk to anyone about anything. I flew with him a few times on his plane while covering him as a BBC journalist, and can recall a private conversation we once had where he told me about his grandmother.

His death now comes as a huge shock, even though he was in poor health earlier this year. After returning to work in the Vatican, his apparent energy gave many hope.

Image source, Getty Images

"Rest in Peace, Pope Francis," the White House writes in a post on X.

The message is shared alongside two pictures. One of the pontiff meeting US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania, and another from Vice-President JD Vance's visit to the Vatican yesterday.

Image source, Getty Images

The leaders of UK political parties have praised Pope Francis's courage and leadership.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pays tribute to the pontiff's "humility, courage and conviction".

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, calls Pope Francis a "leader of compassion and courage".

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says his "sympathies go out to all in the Catholic Church".

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay praises the Pope's "commitment to addressing both the climate crisis and poverty around the world".

Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan praises the late Pope's "example of compassionate leadership".

Scottish First Minister John Swinney says the Pope "brought comfort, assurance and hope".

We haven't heard from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer or King Charles III yet, but we'll let you know as soon as we do.

Image source, EPA

In the final months of his life, the Pope's ill-health saw him spend several weeks in hospital.

On 14 February, the 88-year-old was taken to the Gemelli hospital in Rome to be treated for pneumonia in both lungs. He had experienced difficulties breathing for several days.

He was discharged from hospital on 23 March.

The pontiff was particularly susceptible to pneumonia, which is an infection of the lungs that can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, after undergoing a partial lung removal as a young man.

Image source, Getty Images

US Vice-President JD Vance - who had a brief private meeting with Pope Francis yesterday - says he has just learned of the pontiff's passing.

"My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him," he says.

Vance arrived in Rome on Friday, before meeting with Vatican officials and Pope Francis over the weekend.

Image source, Reuters

Tributes to Pope Francis continue to pour in from world leaders:

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says "he inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate"
• India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he is "deeply pained" by the the Pope's passing
• Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk remembers him as a "good, warm and sensitive man"
• Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi says Pope Francis "was a voice of peace, love and compassion"

Image source, Reuters

Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 December 1936.

The eldest of five children, his parents had fled their native Italy to escape the evils of fascism.

He enjoyed tango dancing and became a supporter of his local football club, San Lorenzo.

He was lucky to escape with his life after a serious bout of pneumonia, undergoing an operation to remove part of a lung. It would leave him susceptible to infection throughout his life.

As an elderly man he also suffered from pain in his right knee, which he described as a "physical humiliation".

The young Bergoglio worked as a nightclub bouncer and floor sweeper, before graduating as a chemist.

At a local factory, he worked closely with Esther Ballestrino, who had campaigned against Argentina's military dictatorship. She was tortured, and her body was never found.

He became a Jesuit, studied philosophy and taught literature and psychology. Ordained a decade later, he won swift promotion, becoming the Catholic Church's provincial superior for Argentina in 1973.

Image source, Getty Images

More reaction from world leaders now, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hails Pope Francis's commitment to the "most vulnerable".

In a post on the social media platform X, Sanchez writes: "I mourn the passing of Pope Francis. His commitment to peace, social justice, and the most vulnerable leaves a profound legacy. Rest in peace."

Image source, Getty Images

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says "this news saddens us deeply".

"I had the privilege of enjoying his friendship," she says in a statement.

"He asked the world, once again, for the courage to change direction, to follow a path that 'does not destroy, but cultivates, repairs, protects'", she adds.

"His teaching and his legacy will not be lost. We greet the Holy Father with hearts full of sadness, but we know that he is now in the peace of the Lord."

Image source, Reuters

Pope Francis' Easter Sunday message was one of peace and "respect for the views of others".

An aide read on his behalf:

In his final address, the pontiff remembered the people of Gaza, in particular its Christian population, as the conflict "causes death and destruction" and creates a "deplorable humanitarian situation". He also called growing global antisemitism "worrisome".

"What a great thirst for death, for killing we see in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world," he said.

"I express my closeness to the sufferings... for all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people," the message said. "Call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace."

The Pope also encouraged all parties involved in the war in Ukraine to "pursue efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace".

Image source, Getty Images

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell - who is the acting head of the Church of England - has paid tribute to Pope Francis.

In a statement, the archbishop commends "Francis’s service of the poor, his love of neighbour especially the displaced, migrant, the asylum seeker, his deep compassion for the well-being of the earth and his desire to lead and build the church in new ways."

"Francis showed us how to follow Jesus and encouraged us to go and do likewise... in their humility and focus on those in the margins, those actions, his whole life, was instantly recognisable as those of one who followed Jesus."

Archbishop Cottrell also refers to Pope Francis's work to resolve religious differences, saying he had been "acutely aware of the divisions between our churches and how they stand in the way of seeing Jesus Christ more fully".

And he paid tribute to his character, describing him as a "holy man of God" who was "also very human".

"I remember, in the brief times I spent with him, how this holy man of God was also very human. He was witty, lively, good to be with, and the warmth of his personality and interest in others shone out from him. May he rest in peace and rise in glory," he says.

Image source, Reuters

The pontiff's death follows one of the most important events in the calendar for Catholics - Easter Sunday - but also falls in a special jubilee year, which comes around only once every 25 years.

The jubilee was kicked off by the Pope on 24 December, when he opened the usually bricked-up Holy Door at St Peter's Basilica.

Millions of pilgrims then descend on the Vatican, to pass through the doorway and seek forgiveness for their sins.

In this jubilee year, tens of thousands of Catholics had gathered in Rome for this weekend's Easter Mass.

The BBC's religion editor, Aleem Maqbool, takes us through the life of the late Pope Francis in this short, 90-second video:

Tributes for Pope Francis are pouring in now:

• Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof says he "was in every way a man of the people"
• European Parliament President Roberta Metsola says "his contagious smile captured millions of people’s hearts across the globe"
• Israeli President Isaac Herzog hails his "boundless compassion"
• Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter says Pope Francis was a "great spiritual leader, a tireless advocate for peace"
• Scottish First Minister John Swinney describes him as "a voice for peace, tolerance and reconciliation"

Image source, EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron is among the first world leaders to pay tribute to Pope Francis, calling him a "man of humility, on the side of the most vulnerable and most fragile".

The Pope's death comes less than 24 hours after he made an appearance at the Vatican's St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday.

He came out in a wheelchair and waved from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to cheering crowds, wishing those gathered a "happy Easter".

Image source, Reuters

His traditional Easter address and blessing was read by an aide while he sat, watching.

Following the blessing, Pope Francis was driven around the square. As he passed through the crowds, his procession paused a number of times as babies were brought over for him to bless.

• Read the full story from Sunday here

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

See the latest at the Vatican in our live stream above - press watch live at the top of the page.

A papal funeral has traditionally been an elaborate affair, but Pope Francis recently approved plans to make the whole procedure less complex.

Previous pontiffs were buried in three nested coffins made of cypress, lead and oak.

Pope Francis has opted for a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc.

He has also scrapped the tradition of placing the Pope's body on a raised platform - known as a catafalque - in St Peter's Basilica for public viewing.

Instead, mourners will be invited to pay their respects while his body remains inside the coffin, with the lid removed.

Francis will also be the first Pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican.

He will be laid to rest in the Basilica of St Mary Major, one of four major papal basilicas in Rome.

Image source, Reuters

Francis's papacy heralded many firsts and, while he never stopped introducing reforms to the Catholic Church, he remained popular among traditionalists.

He was the first Pope to come from the Americas, or from the southern hemisphere. Not since Syrian-born Gregory III died in 741 had there been a non-European Bishop of Rome.

He was also the first Jesuit to be elected to the throne of St Peter - Jesuits were historically looked on with suspicion by Rome.

Francis's predecessor, Benedict XVI, was the first Pope to retire voluntarily in almost 600 years and for almost a decade the Vatican Gardens hosted two popes.

As Cardinal Bergoglio of Argentina, he was already in his seventies when he became Pope in 2013.