Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday mourned the passing of Pope Francis, the 88-year-old leader of the Catholic Church.

“We pray as we mourn the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis, the shepherd who taught us to be compassionate, forgiving, and merciful in a world poisoned by, social inequities, hate, greed, and wars,” she said in a statement.

“He led the Roman Catholic with humility, dedication, and faith as a disciple of God,” she added.

Duterte said she is hopeful that Filipinos will find strength “and continue to live with the aspirations left by His Holiness as a man with the mission to bring the Gospel to the faithful, especially the poor, the sick, and the dying.”

“Let us pray for the eternal repose of the Holy Father, Pope Francis,” she said.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, led the Catholic Church for 12 years and was widely admired for his humility, progressive views, and deep concern for the poor and marginalized.

The 88-year-old Catholic leader died on Monday morning, almost a month after having been discharged from five weeks in hospital where he nearly succumbed to double pneumonia.

Francis died at 7.35 am (0535 GMT) in his apartment at the Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. He died of "cerebral stroke, coma, irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse", the death certificate said. With Agence France Presse