Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition leader Peter Dutton have led the outpouring of emotional tributes from Australia following the death of Pope Francis.

The Pope died on Monday, aged 88, after battling a recent serious bout of double pneumonia.

More than 5.1 million Aussies, or 20 per cent of the population, identify as Catholic, according to the 2021 Census.

The Prime Minister spent Monday campaigning in Melbourne before heading St Patrick’s Cathedral to address the nation on would be a ‘very difficult evening’ for Australian Catholics.

A solemn Mr Albanese took a drink of water to compose himself before beginning his emotional tribute to the 266th pontiff, who was the first Pope from the southern hemisphere.

‘For Australian Catholics, he was a devoted champion and loving father,’ he said.

‘He was truly inspirational.’

‘The memory and example of his compassion will long endure as we mourn his death.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was emotional as he paid tribute to Pope Francis in Melbourne on Monday night

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was emotional as he paid tribute to Pope Francis in Melbourne on Monday night

Pope Francis (pictured leaving hospital on March 23) died on Monday aged 88

Pope Francis (pictured leaving hospital on March 23) died on Monday aged 88

‘We celebrate the gift of his life and presence among us and we hold on to the resonant truth of Pope Francis’ final Easter homily: ‘The light quietly shines forth even though we are in darkness. The promise of new life and a world finally set free awaits us, and a new beginning, however impossible it might seem, can take us by surprise, for Christ has triumphed over death’.

‘May God welcome Pope Francis to eternal life.’

Mr Albanese added that all flags at Parliament House will fly at half-mast on Tuesday as a sign of respect. 

‘My sincere condolences to everyone for tonight. It will be a very difficult evening,’ he said.

Mr Dutton also addressed the nation on Monday night.

‘His Holiness Pope Francis served God with the utmost devotion throughout his life,’ he said.

‘He lived frugally and simply above all else. 

He was driven by Christ’s values of mercy and forgiveness. 

‘He emphasised those values in his last Christmas address, saying, and I quote, ‘God’s mercy can do all things. It unties every knot. It tears down every wall of division. God’s mercy dispels hatred and the spirit of revenge with God.’

‘May Pope Francis rest in peace.’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Monsignor Stuart Hall leave St Patrick's Cathedral after paying their respects to Pope Francis following his death

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Monsignor Stuart Hall leave St Patrick’s Cathedral after paying their respects to Pope Francis following his death

Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Reverend Anthony Fisher hailed him as a Pope of many firsts.

“As priest, bishop and pope, he embodied Christ’s command to care for all people, especially the most vulnerable,’ he said in a statement.

“He was a Pope of many firsts. He was the first to take the name ‘Francis,’ the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first non-European pontiff in more than a millennium.’

Reverend Fisher also recalled their last conversation just days ago and a heartwarming encounter three years ago that he will never forget.

‘My most recent communication with him was only last week when I got a letter from him appointing me to another job in Rome,’ he told the ABC.

‘I always found him a very easy to talk to, very informal, rather like an Australian in that respect.’

‘One particular memory I have was when I went to Rome for a meeting when I had just buried my mother, and I was there the following week for a meeting. 

‘When I went to shake his hand in the line of people meeting him, he immediately said to me, ‘my condolences on the death of your mum.’

‘That he knew that she had died and that he cared, was really quite remarkable.’

Jorge Mario Bergoglio ascended to become the Supreme Pontiff in 2013, making him the first Pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit Pope, and the first Pope from the southern hemisphere since early Christianity.

He was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Mario, an accountant and Regina, a stay-at-home wife.

Both were Italian immigrants, with Francis graduating as a chemical technician before choosing the path of the priesthood.

Throughout his 12-year tenure, Pope Francis was lauded for his simplicity, humility, warmth and his concern for the poor and those pushed to the edges.

His papacy has centred on themes of social justice, including calling attention to people seeking asylum, refugees and migrants, and the need to care for creation, Australian Catholic University lecturer Sandie Cornish said.

‘He’s been very much a person who values face-to-face, embodied encounter, not talking about these issues in the abstract, but remembering the faces of the people who experience these issues,’ she told AAP.

Mr Albanese described Pope Francis as a devoted champion and loving father for millions of Australian Catholics

Mr Albanese described Pope Francis as a devoted champion and loving father for millions of Australian Catholics

Pope Francis has revitalised Catholic teaching and presided over a ‘paradigm shift’ in his focus on the environment.

‘The freshness of the way he speaks about church teachings, even when he is reiterating the same teaching of previous Popes, has attracted people who previously weren’t inclined to listen,’ Dr Cornish said.

In addition to these progressive shifts, the Pope has made structural changes to the Vatican’s leadership by appointing women to key positions and changing rules to allow lay people to head up departments.

While Pope Francis wasn’t considered to have done a perfect job in contending with sexually abusive priests’ crimes, Dr Cornish believes he will be remembered as someone who tried to address the issue.

‘Each pope is elected for a particular time,’ Dr Cornish said.

‘Francis has very much been the perfect Pope for this time, as we’re facing tipping points in the viability of the planet and his ability to speak in a very simple way to people … like an Argentinian pastor, has been really helpful.’

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe said the sad news did not come as a surprise given the Pope’s age and declining health but would be received with great sadness by Catholics and people of good will all over the world.

‘The 12 years of the papacy of Pope Francis were not without controversy,’ Archbishop Costelloe said.

‘His constant call that the Church should be open to everybody caused some to fear that he was putting at risk the integrity of the Church’s faith and moral teaching.’

Cardinal Mykola Bychok, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul, will be the sole attendee from Australia at the conclave.

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