Cardinals were due to meet on Tuesday to plan Pope Francis' funeral, which leaders from around the world will attend ahead of a conclave next month to elect a new head of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Catholic faithful took heart when the pontiff, after two brushes with death, emerged from a hospital and resumed some of his duties. Their joy proved short-lived.

Rome — Pope Francis, who challenged deeply rooted norms and made it his mission to change the perception of the Catholic Church around the world, has died at the age of 88. The Vatican said Pope Francis died just after 7:30 a.