Brazil orders seven days of mourning to honour Pope Francis

Brazil, home to the world’s largest Catholic community worldwide, will hold seven days of mourning to mark the death of Pope Francis, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Monday.

“Humanity is losing a voice of respect and charity today. Pope Francis lived and propagated in his daily life the love, tolerance and solidarity that are the foundation of Christian teachings,” Lula wrote on X.

Worshippers joined services across Brazil to pray for the late pontiff, who passed away in the Vatican early on Monday aged 88.

Brazilian, a country of some 182 million, is home to the largest number of Catholics worldwide, according to a Vatican News report from March.

Globally, some 1.4 billion people are part of the Catholic Church, according to the figures.