Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday mourned the passing of Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Francis, 88, passed away on Monday morning. The announcement was made by Cardinal Farrell, camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.

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“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,” Cardinal Farrell said in a statement. “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church.

Patnaik said the papacy of Pope Francis was exemplified by compassion and promotion of interfaith dialogue.

“Deeply saddened to learn about the passing away of His Holiness Pope Francis. His Papacy was exemplified by compassion, humility and promotion of interfaith dialogue. May his soul rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with his millions of fans and followers,” he wrote in a post on X.

Born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, Francis had recently survived a very serious double pneumonia. He became the 266th Pope of Rome on March 13, 2013. He was also the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church in over 1,200 years.