Global voice for peace, justice falls silent: Pope Francis is no more
World mourns the defender of peace and the oppressed
THE WORLDVIEW
April 22, 2025
WHEN it comes to moral values, the world has grown significantly poorer overnight as Pope Francis — that principled leader of Christendom — has departed this life for his final resting place. He was 88 years old and had recently suffered a severe bout of double pneumonia.
His death came as a shock, especially after he was seen just days earlier being driven around St Peter’s Square in an open-air Popemobile, waving to cheering crowds on Easter Sunday.
He was a fearless critic of the torture and killing of the Palestinian people. For that, the Muslim world — and others who uphold justice and human rights — will remain forever grateful.
“Today, we lost a faithful friend of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights,” said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, noting that the Pope “recognised the Palestinian state and authorised the Palestinian flag to be raised in the Vatican”.
In his final Easter Sunday message too, Pope Francis had called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, describing the humanitarian situation there as “very serious and shameful”. He also called for the release of Israeli hostages.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi described the Pope as a “voice of peace, love and compassion”.
Offering his condolences, President Sisi said the late Catholic leader was an exceptional global figure who “worked tirelessly to promote tolerance and build bridges of dialogue… and was a champion of the Palestinian cause, defending legitimate rights and calling for an end to conflict”.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said: “We will never forget his repeated calls to protect Lebanon and preserve its identity and diversity.”
King Charles III said he was “deeply saddened” by Pope Francis’s passing, adding that he had been “greatly moved” by his recent visit with Queen Camilla earlier this month.
“Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many,” said the king, who also serves as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen remarked: “He inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and pure love for the less fortunate.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commented: “The late Pope Francis was a symbol of interfaith harmony, peace, and humanity.”
He noted that under the Pope’s leadership, the Catholic Church spread a message of compassion, tolerance, and mutual respect worldwide. “Pope Francis’s recent Easter statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to human rights violations reflects his peace-loving nature and devotion to humanity,” the Prime Minister added.
His life at a glance
Francis was a pope of many firsts: the first from the global south, the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic Church, and the first to take the name Francis. Before his papacy, he had neither lived nor worked in Rome. As a reformer and outsider to the Church’s entrenched hierarchy, his initiatives faced strong resistance from powerful factions within Catholicism and political forces beyond.
He spent his final days in service to the Church, taking part as much as his health allowed in the Easter celebrations — the most sacred period in the Christian calendar. Although unable to lead the main Holy Week services, he made a wheelchair appearance from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to offer Easter blessings.
To many believers, he will be remembered as a pastorally sensitive leader who strove to reconnect the Church with the heart of the Christian message. Pope Francis modelled his papacy after his namesake, St Francis of Assisi — the 13th-century Italian friar known for his commitment to poverty, peace, and care for creation.
On the evening of his election, 13 March 2013, Pope Francis set the tone for his papacy. “Let us pray for the whole world, that there may be a great spirit of fraternity,” he declared from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
He remained true to that spirit, urging all people — regardless of faith or background — to honour their shared humanity. A bridge-builder in a divided world, he sought cooperation among all faiths and denominations. And for that reason the world would remain grateful to him.