The passing of Pope Francis has seen mourners from around the world praise the church leader for his humanitarian work. 

The first pope from the Global South and the first Jesuit elected to the papacy, Pope Francis followed in the footsteps of his namesake, Francis of Assisi, choosing to live humbly and focused on caring for our common home.

Professor Clare Johnson from the Australian Catholic University centre for Liturgy told Bill McDonald on 4BC Mornings, "To lose him so quickly after we'd all been vigiling for him for those five weeks when he was so ill in the hospital, is a bit of a shock."

"he just wanted to be with his people. And that was so typical of his character," Johnson continued.

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