(RNS) — Leaders from across the world, religious and political, are responding to the death of Pope Francis on Monday (April 21). Here’s what they said. 

President Donald Trump

“Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

“Pope Francis will long be remembered for his outreach to those on the margins of the Church and of society. He renewed for us the mission to bring the Gospel out to the ends of the earth and offer divine mercy to all. … Even with his roots in the Piedmont region of Italy, the first Pope from our American Continent was marked by his experience as a Jesuit and a shepherd in Buenos Aires. He brought that experience and vision with him to his ministry for the universal Church. Recently, he expressed a new prayerful hope in his letter of support to the Bishops of this country in our attempts to respond to the face of Christ in the migrant, poor, and unborn. In fact, he has always used the strongest and clearest expressions in the defense of the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death.”

Vice President J.D. Vance

“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.”

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Joe Biden, 46th U.S. president

“It is with great sadness that Jill and I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. He was unlike any who came before him. Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time and I am better for having known him. For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina and his mission of serving the poor never ceased. As Pope, he was a loving pastor and challenging teacher who reached out to different faiths. He commanded us to fight for peace and protect our planet from a climate crisis. He advocated for the voiceless and powerless. He made all feel welcome and seen by the Church. He promoted equity and an end to poverty and suffering across the globe. And above all, he was a Pope for everyone. He was the People’s Pope – a light of faith, hope, and love.”

Peter Isely, a founder and chair of global advocacy at the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP)

“Francis began his papacy by promising us and the world that he would put an end to clergy abuse and cover-up. If we had known then what we know now — that he himself covered up sexual crimes in Argentina before becoming pope and that, for twelve years, he failed to use his authority to implement a universal zero-tolerance policy — we would have felt very differently. That’s why we launched Conclave Watch — to make sure survivors and the public know exactly who these papal contenders are, what they’ve done, and whether they can be trusted to finally deliver on the promises of reform that Francis failed to keep.”

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder

“It is with great sadness that I join people around the world in mourning the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, a true moral leader, a man of deep faith and humanity, and a steadfast friend to the Jewish people. From his early years in Argentina to his papacy, Pope Francis was deeply committed to fostering interfaith dialogue and ensuring that the memory of the Holocaust remained a guiding lesson for future generations. Under his leadership, the relationship between the Holy See and the World Jewish Congress flourished, culminating in the establishment of a WJC office on Via della Conciliazione, just steps from St. Peter’s Basilica — a testament to our shared commitment to dialogue, understanding and mutual respect. … While there were moments of difficulty, particularly in recent months, I remain deeply appreciative of his warmth, humility and unwavering dedication to meaningful engagement between faith communities.”

Johnnie Moore, evangelical leader and former U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom commissioner  

“Evangelicals pray for the Catholic Church, as they mourn the passing of Pope Francis and prepare to select his successor. As an evangelical, I participated in Pope Francis’ historic pilgrimages to the United Arab Emirates … and also to the Kingdom of Bahrain …. I am so grateful for his historic efforts to build bridges between Catholics and Muslim countries, an effort which helped all Christians. In my view this is his greatest legacy & it is a legacy he shares with the wise leaders of these two countries who extended the invitation to him and gave him a welcome unrivaled in their history. Pope Frances was also an unrelenting advocate for persecuted Christians but especially in Iraq and in Syria when ISIS was at its height.”

Sheikh Ahmed El Tayyeb, grand imam of al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

“Today, the world bids farewell to a distinguished humanitarian and dear friend, His Holiness Pope Francis, the Pope of the Catholic Church, a man who dedicated his life to serving humanity, advocating for the oppressed, refugees, and the marginalized, and promoting dialogue and understanding among religions and cultures. He was a true friend to Muslims, sincere in his pursuit of peace. It is remembered with deep respect that among his final statements was a powerful defense of Palestine and the oppressed people of Gaza. His tireless efforts significantly advanced Muslim-Christian dialogue, culminating in our signing of the historic Document on Human Fraternity in 2019.”

Rabbi Noam Marans, American Jewish Committee director of interreligious affairs

“In this sixtieth anniversary year of Nostra Aetate, as we celebrate the positive transformation of Catholic-Jewish relations and AJC’s unique leadership on that path, we must also address the challenges that lie ahead. In that spirit, we are grateful for Pope Francis’s indispensable leadership and contributions in this shared journey. We stand in solidarity with our Catholic brothers and sisters during this time of mourning. May the memory of Pope Francis be for a blessing.”

Francis DeBernardo, executive director, New Ways Ministry, a U.S. Catholic organization providing support to LGBTQ+ Catholics

“Francis was not only the first pope to use the word ‘gay’ when speaking about LGBTQ+ people, he was the first pope to speak lovingly and tenderly to them. His kind words of welcome to this community, traditionally marginalized in the church, rang loudly around the globe. … Even with his many groundbreaking milestones, Pope Francis did have areas where his welcome was not as wide as it could have been. In the area of gender identity and transgender issues, the pontiff adhered closely to the male-female gender binary, referring to any newer understandings of gender identity as ‘gender ideology’ or ‘ideological colonization.’ His misunderstanding and mischaracterization of gender identity did not, however, prevent Pope Francis from reaching out with compassion to transgender people, continually calling for people to respect the inherent human dignity of these minorities.”

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