Trump orders US flags at half-mast for Pope Francis
The Catholic Herald• April 22, 2025
President Donald Trump has ordered that flags at federal, state and military buildings be lowered to the half-mast position – referred to as “half-staff” in the US – in honour of Pope Francis who died on Monday at the age of 88.
The 47th US president also announced that he and his wife will attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. US flags shall remain lowered until the Pope’s funeral, according to the executive order.
“As a mark of respect for the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment,” the executive order reads.
“I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.”
The US President announced the order and spoke about the Pope during the White House Easter Egg Roll that occurred on Monday. “He was a good man, worked hard. He loved the world, and it’s an honour to do that,” the US president said of the late pope, addressing a crowd from the balcony of the White House while in typically Trumpian unorthodox fashion standing next to a large Easter Bunny.
On Monday afternoon, the president also announced on Truth Social: “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!”
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed approximately 40,000 attendees to the first Easter Egg Roll of his second term, reports Fox News. Children participated in activities such as egg rolling and hunting, alongside celebrations promoting next year’s 250th anniversary of the US’s founding.
The annual tradition of rolling coloured eggs down the White House lawn was started by President Rutherford B Hayes in 1878.
Soon after the death of Pope Francis was announced on 21 April, the US President posted a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social: “Rest in peace Pope Francis! May God bless him and all who loved him!”
Pope Francis and Donald Trump had an at times tense relationship, particularly over immigration and social policy, which was often marked by visible unease and diverging visions of moral responsibility.
In 2016, Pope Francis criticised Trump’s plan to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, saying: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.” Trump responded that it was “disgraceful” for a religious leader to question someone’s faith.
Their differences continued during Trump’s first presidency and seemed to be reigniting during his return to office. In 2025, Pope Francis condemned the renewed plans for mass deportations, calling them a “disgrace”, and warned that policies built on force rather than human dignity “begin badly and will end badly”.
US President Donald Trump, Melania Trump and the Easter Bunny, delivers remarks, including his declaration that flags shall remain flying half-mast in honour of Pope Francis, during the White House Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, Washington, DC, USA, 21 April 2025. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
JD Vance, a practising Catholic convert who met the pontiff only the day before his death, also released a statement following news of the Pope’s death. Vance wrote on X: “I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.
“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.”
Vance attached to his message the Urbi et Orbi blessing delivered on 27 March 2020 by Pope Francis that called for faith and solidarity, urging people to trust in God’s presence amid the pandemic and to rediscover the importance of prayer and service.
In that 2020 message, the Holy Father reflects: “We have realised that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed.”
First Lady Melania Trump, who grew up in Slovenia when it was part of Yugoslavia, in eastern Europe, is reported to be a practicing Catholic. During a 2017 visit with her husband to meet Pope Francis, she adhered to Vatican protocol by wearing a mantilla during her visit to the Vatican.
During Donald Trump’s re-election bid in 2024, he energetically campaigned and pushed for the Catholic vote in the US, which may well have given him the edge in his ultimate victory.
At the beginning of Lent this year, the US president and First Lady issued a Lenten message for Catholics and other Christians, a striking and rare move in the secular era of modern politics.
The Lenten message from the couple concluded: “We offer you our best wishes for a prayerful and enriching Lenten season. May Almighty God bless you, and may He continue to bless the United States of America.”
President George W Bush attended Pope St John Paul II’s funeral in person. President Joe Biden sent a delegation for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2023.
Photo: US flags fly at half-mast near the Washington Monument on the National Mall in honour of Pope Francis in Washington, DC, USA, 21 April 2025. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.)