Inside Pope Francis’ final hours blessing 1000s of Easter worshippers & meeting JD Vance just a day before death aged 88

POPE Francis has died aged 88 - a day after making a much hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter's Square on Easter Sunday.

He emerged from his convalescence to bless thousands of people and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza.

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"Viva il Papa! (Long live the pope), Bravo!" the crowd shouted as Francis looped through the square in his open-topped popemobile and then up and down the main avenue leading to it.

He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him.

"Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter! Francis" said.

Francis didn't celebrate the Easter Mass in the piazza, delegating it to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St. Peters Basilica.

But after the Mass ended, Francis appeared on the loggia balcony over the basilica entrance for more than 20 minutes and imparted the apostolic blessing in Latin.

The crowd of people below, estimated by the Vatican to be more than 35,000, erupted in cheers as a military band kicked off rounds of the Holy See anthem.

In all, Francis was outside on a sunny spring day for around 50 minutes, with temperatures at 21 degrees Celsius.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance also met briefly with Pope Francis on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings

"Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican's TV channel.

"At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father."