Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, on Easter Mondag, the Vatican has announced.

His death comes a day after he appeared at St Peter's Square to offer thousands of worshippers Easter greetings.

He came out in a wheelchair and waved from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to cheering crowds and said: "Dear brothers and sisters, happy Easter."

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

Following the blessing, he 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.

The message by the Vartican reads, "A short while ago, His Eminence, Cardinal Farrell, announced with sorrow the death of Pope Francis, with these words: “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.

"At 7:35 this morning (local time), the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church.

"He taught us to live the values ​​of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised."

Farrell adds: "With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”

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".

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.

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 from the Americas or 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.