Pope Francis dies on Mon., to be buried in a 'simple' tomb

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88 from a stroke and heart failure.

Cathedral bells rang out 88 times in honour of the beloved pope, with people around the world making their way to the Vatican to remember him.

Ahn Sung-jin has more.

Bells tolled in St. Peter's Square, mourning the death of Pope Francis.

The Vatican said that at 7:35AM on Monday, local time, the Pope died at 88 years old from a stroke and heart failure.

Though he had been hospitalized for 38 days battling pneumonia in the winter, he had delivered an Easter blessing on Sunday morning, the day before his death.

"It is just a very sad day. It is honestly, I think, impressive that he made it to Easter, I think that is almost like a miracle for Italy."

"He has been doing a great pastoral work, reaching out to his sheep and, well, now the Lord is calling him to rest, to rest in peace after the great work he has done. We are left to pray for him."

In his will, he asked to be buried in a simple tomb in the ground at Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major with a one-word inscription Franciscus, his name in Latin.

That will make him the first pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican.

Pope Francis is history's first Latin American pope and the first Jesuit Pope.

He was also the first to allow Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.

As an advocate of peace, he strived for a peaceful outcome in the Ukraine war and called for a Gaza ceasefire.

Pope Francis had also visited South Korea in 2014 to pray for the war-divided Peninsula and the families of those who died in the Sewol ferry disaster.

World leaders have also spoken about the death of the pontiff.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Pope Francis "a messenger of hope, humility and humanity" who "leaves behind a legacy of faith, service and compassion."

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to put all flags of the country at half-mast, while Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences.

A new pontiff will be elected after Catholics begin the nine days of funeral rites.

The centuries' old ritual of the conclave procedures begin as cardinals come to Rome to participate in the funeral mass.

Following closed meetings, the cardinals will vote to choose the next pontiff.

Some say that the Vatican may see their first African or Asian Pope, though it is hard to predict the highly secretive papal conclave.

Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News.