Prayers are going up across the globe as the world leader of the Catholic faith passed away on Easter Monday.

Pope Francis, who was the first pontiff to be elected from Latin America and the third pope to serve during the 21st century, was 88 when he died Monday. He had been previously hospitalized for an illness, but returned back to limited duties following the stay.

Francis, born in 1936 in Buenos Aries, Argentina, he was Jorge Mario Bergoglio prior to taking his papal name when elected in 2013. He served for 12 years as the head of the church in the Vatican, replacing Pope Benedict XVI after his resignation amid scandals over the church’s history of covering up sexual abuse by clergy over decades.

He had just given the papal blessing on Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square and rode around in the Popemobile greeting the faithful and blessing infants passed his way from the crowd.

Pope Francis had been in declining health over the past years in the latter half of his tenure heading the church.

A Jesuit by training, he received his cardinal’s hat under Pope John Paul II in 2001 after serving as the Archbishop of Buenos Aries when he was appointed in 1998. He was inspired to become a priest after suffering a severe illness during his younger years in the 1950s, which was severe enough to require one of his lungs to be removed.

His tenure as the pontiff was seen as overall positive as he advocated for the poor, underserved and those suffering under many forms of oppression. Additionally, dozens of world leaders during his 12 years as Pope Francis met with him, including the last to see him Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife on Easter Sunday.

With the passing of Pope Francis, the Vatican now enters the “Papal Interregnum,” a period of time between when the previous pontiff passed away and a new one is selected through a process called Conclave. Cardinals from across the globe will gather in the Holy City over the coming days and hold a secret session that goes on as long as it takes for a majority vote to be secured among candidates nominated for the papal seat.

Pope Francis will lie in state and funeral services are set to be announced in the coming days.