In their own words: global political and religious leaders pay tribute to life and work of Pope Francis
The Catholic Herald• April 30, 2025
As news of Pope Francis’s death broke, increasing numbers of world leaders from across the political and religious spectrums joined in paying tribute to his life and work.
“How appropriate that Pope Francis’s last public appearance was on Easter Sunday as we celebrated the joy of the resurrection of Jesus, whom he loved so deeply and so well, and right after our Jewish brothers and sisters, for whom Pope Francis had such great love, concluded their celebration of Passover. I was honoured to participate in the conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013, and to have welcomed him here to New York in 2015. He touched us all with his simplicity, with his heart of a humble servant.” Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York
“Pope Francis was a transcendent voice for peace, human dignity and social justice. He leaves behind a legacy of faith, service and compassion for all – especially those left on the margins of life or trapped by the horrors of conflict. He also understood that protecting our common home is, at heart, a deeply moral mission and responsibility that belongs to every person.” António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
“Pope Francis dedicated himself to the service of others – revealing by his own actions how to live a simple, but meaningful life. The best tribute we can pay to him is to be a warm-hearted person, serving others wherever and in whatever way we can.” The Dalai Lama
“Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time and I am better for having known him. He made all feel welcome and seen by the Church. He promoted equity and an end to poverty and suffering across the globe. Above all, he was a Pope for everyone. He was the People’s Pope – a light of faith, hope and love.” Former US President Joe Biden
“Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures, at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another.” Former US President Barack Obama
“Pope Francis’s legacy is his message of peace, reconciliation and solidarity that lives in the hearts of those he inspired. May he rest in peace, and may his memory continue to guide us as we strive to build a world that reflects his vision of love and compassion for all.” Micheál Martin, Irish Taoiseach
“Pope Francis will be remembered foremost as the ‘Pope of the peripheries’, determined to lead the Church in reaching out to those on the margins – the poor, elderly, disabled, unborn, refugees and prisoners. He demonstrated this in the way he carried out the Petrine ministry, using his global profile to give voice to those too often forgotten.” Anthony Fisher OP, Archbishop of Sydney
“Despite differences that are minor today, to have been able to know him in his goodness and wisdom was a real honour for me.” Javier Milei, President of Argentina
“Pope Francis played a distinguished role in advocating for peace and coexistence, and stood in solidarity with the oppressed and persecuted across the globe. The Supreme Religious Authority offers its condolences to followers of the Catholic Church and prays for patience and solace for them, and that God may bless humanity with goodness, mercy and peace.” Grand Ayatollah Sistani
“Through his teachings and actions, Pope Francis redefined the moral responsibilities of leadership in the 21st century. His Holiness understood, and taught, that value in the market must never eclipse values in society. Pope Francis leaves a spiritual and ethical legacy that will shape our collective conscience for generations to come.” Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada
“As we mourn Pope Francis’s death, we give thanks for his life and legacy of reform, renewal, unity, which opened doors of dialogue and brought the Church closer to people from all walks of life.” Dr Anne Burghardt, General Secretary of the World Lutheran Federation
“Throughout his pontificate Pope Francis always sided with the most vulnerable and the most fragile, and he did this with a lot of humility. In this time of war and brutality, he had a sense for the other, for the most fragile.” Emmanuel Macron, President of France
“We mourn the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis – a shepherd who led with courage and unwavering faith. Twice, we had the honour of welcoming him to Hungary. His prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Hungary, still resonates: ‘Instil into the hearts of people and the leaders of nations the desire to build peace.’ We will honour his legacy.” Viktor Orbán, President of Hungary
The Ecumenical Patriarch:
“In the atmosphere of great Easter joy came the sad news of the death of Pope Francis, a precious brother in Christ, with whom from the first moment of his ascension to the papal throne, we had a fraternal friendship and cooperation for the good of our Churches, for the further rapprochement of our Churches, for the good of humanity.
“Throughout these twelve years of his papacy, he stood as a faithful friend, companion and supporter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a genuine friend of Orthodoxy, a genuine friend of the least of the Lord’s brothers, for whom he often spoke, acted and touched their feet, in an example of genuine humility and brotherly love. We will always remember him.
“We pray that the Lord of life and death will reward him for his many labours for the Church and for man, and will raise up on the Throne of Saint Peter a worthy successor, who will embrace the visions of Pope Francis and continue his valuable work for all humanity, especially for Christianity, and even more specifically for the rapprochement of our sister Churches with the ultimate goal of their complete encounter in the common Chalice. Eternal memory to you, brother Pope Francis.”
The Archbishop of York:
“Christians of all denominations join in mourning the death of Pope Francis, but also sharing in the deep consolation that he has entered into the joy of the Lord in this Easter season. Having delivered a final apostolic blessing in St Peter’s Square on the Day of the Resurrection, this faithful servant of the Lord was called home to his Father’s house.
“Together with my fellow Anglicans, I share in the intense sorrow at the death of this good and holy man, who brought our churches ever closer together. Anglican and Catholic primates officiated together in Rome; Anglican and Catholic bishops were commissioned to minister alongside each other across the world; Choral Evensong was sung for the first time in St Peter’s Basilica. Under his pontificate even cricket became a channel for ecumenism, with regular tours of the Vatican XI to England, which Pope Francis rightly saw as an opportunity to build bridges of fraternal solidarity and to promote Christian unity.
“I pray for the soul of a faithful and holy Christian, one who bore the demands of his office with courage and determination, and who showed us in his ministry and mission, his living and his dying how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
Photo: Various world leaders and dignitaries attend the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, 26 April 2025. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images.)
Editorial note: the papacy and the See of Canterbury are simultaneously vacant for the first time since 1691, after the deposition of William Sancroft and the death of Alexander VIII.
This article appears in the May 2025 edition of the Catholic Herald. To subscribe to our thought-provoking magazine and have independent, high-calibre and counter-cultural Catholic journalism delivered to your door anywhere in the world click HERE.