Pope Francis, whose time as head of the Catholic Church was noted for humility and outreach efforts to people of disparate backgrounds and faiths, has died at 88, the Vatican has confirmed.

Francis' death on Monday comes after a series of worsening health problems, including a respiratory crisis that left him in critical condition in recent months. The Argentinian national was known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, when he was elected the Catholic Church's 266th supreme pontiff -- and the first ever from Latin America -- on March 13, 2013, replacing the retiring Pope Benedict XVI.