Pope Francis has died April 21 at the age of 88.

U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death at 7:35 a.m. Pope Francis gave new energy to millions of Catholics – and caused concern for some – as he transformed the image of the papacy into a pastoral ministry based on personal encounters and strong convictions about mission, poverty, immigration and dialogue.

“His whole life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and his church,” Cardinal Farrell said in a video announcement broadcast from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where Pope Francis lived and where he was recovering from pneumonia and respiratory infections. He had been released from Rome’s Gemelli hospital March 23 after more than five weeks of treatment.

Pope Francis “taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized,” Cardinal Farrell said. “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 Triune God.”

The day before his death, the pope had appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to give his Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world). His voice was weak and he had trouble raising his arm to make the sign of the cross, but afterward he got into the popemobile and drove through the crowds in St. Peter’s Square.

Charlotte Bishop Michael Martin invites all people of good will to pray for the repose of the soul of the pope, and he has asked churches across western North Carolina to open their doors for public prayer Monday at 7 p.m. Bishop Martin will offer a Mass for the Dead for the late pontiff at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Mark Church in Huntersville.