Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas and the first to address the United States Congress, died on Easter Monday at age 88.

Pope Francis's last public appearance was for an Easter Sunday blessing at the Vatican's St Peter's Square. It had been unknown at the time if the pontiff would join the service following his discharge from hospital last month,

Pope Francis held a private meeting at the Vatican on Sunday morning with Vice President JD Vance, the Vatican said in a statement. Vance, a Catholic who has clashed with the pontiff over the Trump administration's immigration policies, met Francis at his Vatican residence to exchange Easter greetings, the statement said.