• World mourns ‘humble Pontiff’, The Vatican Head of State
The beat stopped for Pope Francis early yesterday, less than 24 hours after celebrating Easter with the faithful. He was 88.
“Brothers and sisters, happy Easter.” That was the Pontiff’s message to the thousands of worshippers with a trembling voice on Easter Sunday.
At 9:45 am local time in Rome, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta.
He said: “Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis.
“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.
“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised.
“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”
The cause of death was given as cerebral stroke and subsequent heart failure.
A death certificate published by the Vatican said the cerebral stroke led to a coma and irreversible heart failure.
Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told journalists later yesterday that the late Pope’s body could be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica tomorrow morning so that the faithful may pray before his mortal remains.
“The translation of the Holy Father’s mortal remains to the Vatican Basilica, for the veneration of all the faithful, may take place on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, 2025, according to the arrangements that shall be determined and communicated tomorrow, following the first Congregation of the Cardinals,” Bruni said.
The Pope was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital on February 14 after suffering from a bout of bronchitis for several days.
His clinical situation worsened, and his doctors diagnosed bilateral pneumonia on February 18.
After 38 days in the hospital, the late Pope returned to his Vatican residence at the Casa Santa Marta to continue his recovery.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, made history in 2013 when he became the first Jesuit and Latin American to lead the Catholic Church.
He was widely respected for his progressive stances on social issues and his efforts to reform the Vatican bureaucracy.
His death has sparked a global outpouring of tributes from world leaders, religious figures, and humanitarian organisations.
Tinubu, World leaders mourn
Images across the world indicated the shock that greeted the Pope’s death, despite his ailing health.
From Europe to South America to Africa and the Americas, it was all mourning over his death.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other world leaders paid tributes to the Pontiff, remarkably for his humility.
The President, in his statement, called on the world to honour the late Pope Francis not only through tributes but concrete action that reflects the values the Pontiff stood for: lifting the poor, healing communities, and defending human dignity.
“As we mourn the late Pontiff, let us also celebrate his legacy. Let us honour him not with words alone but with action: by lifting those who are down, healing our communities, and defending the dignity of every person,” President Tinubu said in a tribute he personally released yesterday.
President Tinubu, who in his 2025 Easter message expressed joy at seeing the Pontiff’s public appearance, described the timing of his death as a “sacred return to his maker at a time of renewed hope for Christians.”
He hailed the late Pope as “a humble servant of God, a tireless champion of the poor, and guiding light for millions,” noting that his spiritual leadership had transcended the boundaries of the Church to touch lives across the globe.
“He served the Church and the Master of the Church until the end.
‘In 2013, he stepped onto the global stage with a message of mercy, urging us to see the face of Christ in the marginalised, the refugees, the migrants, and the forgotten”, the President said, reflecting on Pope Francis’ enduring commitment to his faith and calling.
President Tinubu praised the Pope’s unrelenting advocacy for social justice, environmental stewardship, and peace, describing him as “an instrument of peace who deeply embodied the message of Christ: love for God and love for humanity.”
Pope will be missed, says Buhari
Former President Muhammadu Buhari expressed deep sorrow over the death of Pope Francis, describing the late pontiff as a global moral force whose compassion and commitment to the poor, migrants, and interfaith unity left an indelible mark on the world.
In a statement released through his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, the former Nigerian leader joined millions of Christians around the world in mourning the Pope.
Buhari praised Pope Francis for his exemplary leadership of the Catholic Church, highlighting his dedication to the welfare of the weak and displaced.
“Christians in Nigeria and all over the world would miss the exemplary leadership of the Church by a Pope who served the poor and the weak, and cared much about migrants and refugees,” Buhari said.
The former president noted the late pontiff’s relentless efforts in promoting harmony between Islam and Christianity, two of the world’s major faiths.
“He was a Pope who strove to build a beneficial, complementary relationship between the followers of the world’s two greatest religions, Islam and Christianity,” he added.
Reflecting on the Pope’s final public appeal for peace, Buhari referenced Francis’s call for an end to hostilities in Gaza just hours before his passing.
“Just hours before his demise, he made a call for an end to the war in Gaza.
“I hope Israel and Hamas will heed this call as a final respect to the Pope who had the distinction of bringing climate change to the Vatican and recognising the Palestinian state,” he said.
The former President also expressed hope that the next leader of the Catholic Church would continue Pope Francis’s legacy of humility, social justice, and advocacy for global peace.
Speaker mourns
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, described Pope Francis as a towering spiritual leader and a tireless advocate for global peace, compassion, and human dignity.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, the Speaker expressed deep sorrow over the passing of the Pope.
Speaker Abbas condoled with the Catholic Church, the global Christian community, and the Holy See.
The Speaker said Pope Francis devoted his life to the service of God and humanity, using his papacy to bridge divides, uplift the poor, and call the world to a higher moral consciousness.
“He was not just a religious leader,” the Speaker said, “but a beacon of hope and a global statesman who stood for peace, unity, and the common good.”
He said even in his final public appearance during the Easter Mass at the Vatican, the Pope continued his impassioned call for an end to conflicts across the globe — a defining feature of his pontificate.
“From war-torn regions to forgotten corners of the world,” he added, “Pope Francis never ceased to raise his voice for justice, mercy, and reconciliation.”
Tajudeen acknowledged Pope Francis’s enduring legacies: his unwavering commitment to the poor and marginalised, his call for ecological responsibility through Laudato Si’, and his emphasis on mercy, inclusion, and the need for a Church that heals.
The Speaker said: “He changed the tone of the papacy, making it more pastoral, more human, more accessible.
“I join Christians, particularly the Catholic faithful across the world, to mourn the passing of this extraordinary leader, a unifier and a peacemaker, who used his God-given gift of leadership to inspire faith, hope, and love.
“Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has made transformative contributions to the Church and Christendom at large.
‘”He led an exemplary life marked by humility, simplicity, and an unwavering dedication to God and the welfare of humanity.
“As we grieve the loss of this holy man, we remember his courageous voice, his tireless prayers for peace, his outreach to the world’s most vulnerable, and the moral clarity he brought to our troubled times.
“May his legacy continue to inspire leaders — religious and political alike — to pursue justice, compassion, and the common good.”
Trump, Macron, Meloni laud Pope
The United States President, Donald Trump, whose policies on immigration and mass deportation were openly criticised by the late pontiff, issued a short post on his Truth Social platform.
He said: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God bless him and all who loved him!”
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said Francis had always sided with the most vulnerable – and 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 the French territory of Mayotte, adding that “great pain” would be felt at the pontiff’s death 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.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who held a brief meeting with Francis in Rome on Sunday morning – the last dignitary he received – said his heart went out to the millions of Catholics around the world who had loved the pontiff.
“I was happy to see him, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful.”
King Charles pays tribute
King Charles said he and Queen Camilla have “heavy hearts” after Pope Francis’s death, as they paid tribute to his “compassion” and “tireless commitment” to people of faith.
In a statement, the King said, though “deeply saddened”, their sorrow had been “somewhat eased” by the Pope being able to share an Easter greeting with the world on Sunday before he died.
The King and Camilla met the pontiff on a state visit to Italy earlier this month, which the couple said they remembered with “particular affection”.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, echoed the King’s comments, saying the Pope’s death “brings great sadness to so many”.
Biden: He was like no other
Joe Biden, who was only the second Roman Catholic to serve as U.S. President, hailed the late pope as “unlike any who came before him”.
He added: “Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time, and I am better for having known him.”
Javier Milei, the president of Francis’s native Argentina, voiced “profound sorrow” over the death of the first Latin American pontiff.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said Francis’s “commitment to peace, social justice and the most vulnerable leaves a deep legacy”, while King Felipe praised the pope for bringing “solace to the poorest”.
Ireland’s president, Michael Higgins, said Francis’s recognition of the “essential dignity” of every human being had helped him confront issues such as the climate crisis and the plight of immigrants, as well as the child sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the church.
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 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”.
He added: “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 Francis 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 rightwing radical was a longtime critic of Francis, whom he notoriously called a communism-promoting imbecile and even “a son of a bitch”. However, the two men were reconciled last year during a brief meeting when Milei visited the Vatican.
Milei said: “Despite the differences that seem minor today, being able to know him and see his goodness and wisdom was a true honour for me.”
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Francis “knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity”.
He added: “He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. We grieve together with Catholics and all Christians who looked to Pope Francis for spiritual support. Eternal memory!”
Putin: He was a faithful servant
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”.
Starmer: he was a Pope for the poor
Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, said Francis had been “a pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten”.
“He was close to the realities of human fragility, meeting Christians around the world facing war, famine, persecution and poverty. Yet he never lost hope of a better world.”
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 the 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.”
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”.
Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, offered Buddhist prayers and wrote to the papal envoy to “express his sadness” at Francis’s death.
