The announcement of Pope Francis’s death was made from Casa Santa Marta at 9:45 AM, by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, prompting global leaders to commence their tributes.
Cardinal Kevin Ferrell broke the news that Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88.
The pontiff’s demise occurs not only after the most significant calendar occasion for Catholics but also coincides with the exceptional jubilee year, which transpires every 25 years.
The jubilee commenced when the Pope unsealed the typically bricked-up Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica on 24 December, attracting millions of pilgrims to the Vatican to traverse the entrance and seek absolution for their transgressions.
TRIBUTES
French President Emmanuel Macron is among the first world leaders to pay tribute to Pope Francis, calling him a “man of humility, on the side of the most vulnerable and most fragile”.
- US Vice-President JD Vance says he has 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.”
- The leaders of UK political parties have praised Pope Francis’s courage and leadership.
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pays tribute to the pontiff’s “humility, courage and conviction”.
- Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, calls Pope Francis a “leader of compassion and courage”.
- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says his “sympathies go out to all in the Catholic Church”.
- Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan praises the late Pope’s “example of compassionate leadership”.
- Scottish First Minister John Swinney says the Pope “brought comfort, assurance and hope”.
- We haven’t heard from the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, or King Charles III yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we hear from them.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says “he inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate”
- India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he is “deeply pained” by the passing of Pope Francis
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk remembers Pope Francis as a “good, warm and sensitive man”
- Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi says Pope Francis “was a voice of peace, love and compassion”
- Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hails Pope Francis’s commitment to the “most vulnerable”.
- “I mourn the passing of Pope Francis. His commitment to peace, social justice, and the most vulnerable leaves a profound legacy. Rest in peace.”
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says “this news saddens us deeply”.
- “I had the privilege of enjoying his friendship,” she adds in the statement.
- Meloni adds “he asked the world, once again, for the courage to change direction, to follow a path that ‘does not destroy, but cultivates, repairs, protects'”.
- “His teaching and his legacy will not be lost. We greet the Holy Father with hearts full of sadness, but we know that he is now in the peace of the Lord.”
Regious Leaders pays Tribute
- Moscow’s Patriarchate says Pope Francis played a “significant role in active development of contacts between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church”, Russian news agency Tass reports
- The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem says a mass will take place at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre on Wednesday
- The Jesuits in Britain say they are “grateful for the gift of Pope Francis’s leadership”
- Church of England’s acting head pays tribute
- Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell – who is the acting head of the Church of England – has reacted to Pope Francis’s death.
- “We saw that compellingly in Francis’s service of the poor, his love of neighbour especially the displaced, migrant, the asylum seeker, his deep compassion for the well-being of the earth and his desire to lead and build the church in new ways.
- “Francis showed us how to follow Jesus and encouraged us to go and do likewise… In their humility and focus on those in the margins, those actions, his whole life, was instantly recognisable as those of one who followed Jesus.
- “Archbishop Cottrell also referred to Pope Francis’s work to resolve religious differences, saying he had been “acutely aware of the divisions between our churches and how they stand in the way of seeing Jesus Christ more fully”.
- And he paid tribute to his character, describing him as a “holy man of God” who was “also very human”.