Havana, April 21 (RHC) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez today mourned the death of Pope Francis, the first pontiff in history from Latin America.

"I express my heartfelt condolences to the international Catholic community in this moment of sorrow for the death of Pope Francis," Rodríguez said on the social media platform X.

According to his comment on the platform, the Caribbean nation will remember "with affection his visits to Cuba and the closeness he always conveyed to Cubans."

A Vatican statement stated that this Monday "the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father" and highlighted his lifelong dedication "to the service of the Lord and his Church."

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis, was elected head of the Catholic Church in March 2013, after the resignation of Benedict XVI.

He suffered from respiratory problems and was hospitalized for more than a month, until he was discharged on March 23.

He died at the age of 88, shortly after his appearance in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Easter Sunday.

From September 19 to 22, 2015, Pope Francis made an apostolic trip to Cuba, during which he spoke with the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.

On February 12, 2016, he returned to Cuban soil during a stopover on his trip to Mexico, and held a meeting with the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Kirill, the first meeting of the leaders of both churches since the schism of Christianity in 1054.