3 hours ago
3
Political and religious leaders around the world have paid tribute to the life and legacy of Pope Francis, whose 12-year papacy came to an end with his death in Rome early on Monday morning.
Many recalled Francis’s unfailing defence of the poorest and most marginalised, and his profound commitment to peace and the environment.
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said Francis had always sided with the most vulnerable – and he had done so with considerable humility.
“In this time of war and brutality, he had a sense for the other, for the most fragile,” Macron told reporters on a visit to Mayotte.
Macron, who thanked the pope for his various visits to France – including his trip to Corsica in December – offered his condolences “to Catholics across the world”, saying “great pain” would be felt in France and internationally.
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said news of Francis’s death was cause for great sadness because it marked the departure of “a great man [and] a great shepherd”.
In a statement, she added: “I had the privilege of enjoying his friendship, his advice, his teachings, which never ceased not even during times of trial and suffering.
We say goodbye to the Holy Father with a heart full of sadness.”
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he was sorry to hear of the pope’s death, adding: “His commitment to peace, social justice and the most vulnerable leaves a deep legacy. May he rest in peace.”
Simon Harris, Ireland’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister, said Francis’s commitment to justice, peace, and human dignity had touched millions.
“Through his advocacy for the poor, his calls for interfaith dialogue, and his focus on environmental issues, he was a beacon of hope and a voice for the voiceless,” said Harris. “He urged us to care for the Earth as a moral responsibility, integral to the Christian faith.”
Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s first minister, paid tribute to the pontiff’s support for the region’s peace process and promotion of tolerance and justice.
“Pope Francis showed compassion on LGBT issues and condemned rightwing extremists, and he was ahead of many world leaders in speaking out against the Israeli war in Gaza,” she said. “His efforts to reach out and acknowledge past wrongs should also be recognised.”
Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, said Francis had been guided by “humility and simplicity” throughout his long pastoral ministry: “He chose as his papal motto the words of his episcopal calling: ‘Miserando atque eligendo’ – ‘He looked upon him with mercy and chose him.’ He was a great apostle of mercy, in which he saw an answer to the challenges of the modern world.”
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said she too had been saddened to learn that Francis had died.
“When we met just recently in Rome, I thanked Pope Francis for his strong leadership in protecting the most vulnerable and defending human dignity,” she said. “I extend my condolences to all Catholics in the world.”
The prime minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, said Francis’s “sober way of life [and] acts of service and compassion” had made him a role model to many Catholics and non-Catholics alike. “The global Catholic community bids farewell to a leader who recognised the burning issues of our day and called attention to them,” he added.
Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said with the death of Pope Francis, “the Catholic church and the world lose an advocate for the weak, a reconciling and a warm-hearted person”.
The country’s president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said the world had “lost a shining beacon of hope”, adding: “From the very first days of his ministry as bishop of Rome, he made it clear that the poor and marginalised, the displaced and refugees could be sure of his special attention, his special care and even his special love. Many who felt forgotten felt heard, seen and understood by him, the pope.”
The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, offered his condolences to Christians in Israel and across the world.
“He rightly saw great importance in fostering strong ties with the Jewish world and in advancing interfaith dialogue as a path towards greater understanding and mutual respect,” Herzog said.
Although Israel’s relationship with Francis had become fractious over the past 18 months because of the late pontiff’s calls to end the war in Gaza, Herzog added: “I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages will soon be answered.”
The New Zealand prime minister, Christopher Luxon, remembered the pope as “a man of humility” who had left behind a legacy that included “an unwavering commitment to the vulnerable, to social justice and to interfaith dialogue”.
The US vice-president, JD Vance – who held a brief meeting with Francis in Rome on Sunday morning – said his heart went out to the millions of Catholics around the world who had loved the pontiff.
“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of Covid. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul,” said Vance, sharing the text of a prayer delivered by Francis in 2020.
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, said Francis had won international renown as “a faithful servant of Christian teaching, a wise religious and statesmanlike figure, and a consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice”.
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, described the pope as a “beacon of compassion”, while Egypt’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, called Francis a “voice of peace, love and compassion”.
In the UK, Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York and interim leader of the Church of England, paid tribute to a “holy man of God” who was deeply committed to the poor and to the environment.
“I remember, in the brief times spent with him, how this holy man of God was also very human,” Cottrell added. “He was witty, lively, good to be with, and the warmth of his personality and interest in others shone out from him.”
The former archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who became the leader of the world’s Anglicans in same year that Francis was elected pope, said: “From the very first days of his papacy he was an example of humility. He constantly reminded us of the importance of serving the poor, always standing with those who faced persecution and hardship.”
The former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who converted to Catholicism after leaving office, remembered the late pope as “an extraordinary and devoted servant of the Catholic church, admired both within and beyond it for his humility, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the Christian faith and the service of all humanity-Christian and non-Christian alike”.
Chief rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, also offered his condolences and recalled what he termed Francis’s “unwavering dedication to promoting peace and goodwill worldwide”.
