Spain will observe three days of mourning to honour Pope Francis after the Argentine pontiff’s death on Monday, aged 88, Justice Minister Felix Bolanos said in a televised address.

“We regret the death of a good man and a great pope. Therefore, the government of Spain will declare three days of official mourning,” Bolanos said, praising Francis’s “reformist” 12-year papacy that “will leave a legacy for history”.

Francis “dedicated his life to the weak, to those who have nothing… a pope characterised by his struggle against inequality, injustices, his fight against climate change and his concern for all those on the peripheries”, added Bolanos.

“For that reason, the government of Spain has always felt close to his work and his values, especially his defence of peace,” the Socialist minister continued.

In Spain, historically a deeply Catholic country, “we loved him and what his papacy meant,” said Bolanos.

“With his papacy, the Church has started to travel a path which must continue.” (AFP)