World Leaders Pay Tribute to Pope Francis

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who met the Pope on Sunday, said, ‘My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.’

In one of his last engagements, Pope Francis I (R) receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance (L) at the Vatican in Rome, on April 20, 2025. Vatican Media via AP, HO

Argentine President Javier Milei has led tributes to Pope Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires to Italian immigrant parents and died on Monday at age 88.

“It is with profound sorrow that I learned this sad morning that Pope Francis, Jorge Bergoglio, passed away today and is now resting in peace.” Milei wrote on social media platform X. “Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his kindness and wisdom was a true honor for me.”

Milei once criticized the former archbishop of Buenos Aires and accused him of “preaching communism.”

On Monday, Milei wrote, “As President, as an Argentine, and, fundamentally, as a man of faith, I bid farewell to the Holy Father and stand with all of us who are today dealing with this sad news. RIP.”

The current Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jose Garcia Cuerva, said: “The pope of the poor has left us, the pope of the marginalized. He insisted on building bridges, he insisted that we live in universal brotherhood. The pope was our father, the father of the poor, the father of mercy. The best tribute we Argentines can pay to Francis is to unite.”

Pope Francis, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, experienced a respiratory crisis in February that developed into double pneumonia.

He spent 38 days in the hospital before being released, but he remained frail. Hours before he died, the pope emerged on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social, “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who met Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, said on X that his “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,” he said.

Friedrich Merz, who is set to become Germany’s next chancellor, said on X that the pope’s death fills him with great sadness.

“Francis will be remembered for his tireless commitment to the weakest in society, to justice and reconciliation. Humility and faith in God’s mercy guided him in this,” Merz said. “In doing so, the first Latin American to sit on the Holy See touched people worldwide, across denominational boundaries. My thoughts at this time are with the faithful around the world who have lost their Holy Father. May he rest in peace.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog sent his condolences to the “Christian world especially the Christian communities in Israel, the Holy Land, on the loss of their great spiritual father, His Holiness Pope Francis.”

He said Pope Francis was a man of “deep faith and boundless compassion,” who “dedicated his life to uplifting the poor and calling for peace in a troubled world.”

Herzog said the pope had supported fostering strong ties with the Jewish world and advancing mutual respect.

In his final Urbi et Orbi speech, on Easter Sunday, Pope Francis expressed his support for both the Israeli and Palestinian people, saying, “I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!”

In a statement posted on X, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “deeply saddened to hear of the death of His Holiness Pope Francis.”

“His tireless efforts to promote a world that is fairer for all will leave a lasting legacy,” Starmer said.