Reactions to the death of Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday. He was 88, and had recently suffered a serious bout of double pneumonia.

Following are reactions to his death:

GERMANY'S CHANCELLOR-IN-WAITING FRIEDRICH MERZ:

Pope Francis would be remembered for tireless commitment to the society's weakest members.

"He was guided by humility and faith in God's mercy," Merz said in a post on X.

ISRAEL'S PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG:

"A man of deep faith and boundless compassion, he dedicated his life to uplifting the poor and calling for peace in a troubled world," Herzog said of Francis. "I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages (in Gaza) will soon be answered," Herzog said on X.

CARDINAL PABLO VIRGILIO DAVID, PRESIDENT OF THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES:

"Oh my God. I am so shocked by this."

"Let us please ring the bells of our churches and call our people to prayer for the eternal repose of the Holy Father Pope Francis who passed on just about ten minutes ago."

(Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Toby Chopra)