LYON, France (AP) — Church bells tolled in mourning. Well-wishers flocked into pews. Tributes to Pope Francis poured in from around the world on Monday after the Vatican announced the pontiff’s death at age 88.
The 266th pope was praised for his groundbreaking steps to honor the poor and the vulnerable; seek to end conflicts like those in the Middle East, Ukraine and Africa; protect the environment; and guide the Catholic Church toward greater tolerance of gays and lesbians, among other things. Some critics say he didn’t always go far enough. Others said he went too far.
Many recalled his legacy as the first pope from Latin America, and the first Jesuit to reach the pinnacle of church hierarchy, one who stressed humility over hubris for a Church beset with scandal and indifference.
Here’s a look at some of the global reactions a day after his last public appearance on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
— U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who met with the pope on Easter Sunday before traveling to India, wrote on social media that his “heart goes out” to the millions of Christians who loved him, and said: “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.”
— King Charles III praised the pope for his work on safeguarding the planet, and alluded to their multiple personal meetings — including a private visit on April 10 at the Vatican. “We were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month,’’ the King wrote in a statement signed “Charles R.” It was the pope’s first known meeting with a foreign dignitary after he was hospitalized for five weeks with double-pneumonia.
— Church bells tolled in honor of Francis, from the recently reopened Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to a lone bell at the St. Bartholomew Parish in Bulacan, in the Philippines, that was rung 88 times to signify “the 88 fruitful years of our dear Pope Francis,” the parish wrote on social media.
— Martin Pendergast, secretary of the LGBT Catholics Westminster in London, recalled how Francis looked past sexual orientation and said he wouldn’t judge people who tried to carry out the will of God. “He was the first pope to actually use the word ‘gay,’ so even the way he speaks has been a radical transformation — and some would say a bit of a revolution as well — compared with some of his predecessors,” Pendergast said.
— The Women’s Ordination Conference lamented Francis’ unwillingness to push for the ordination of women. “His repeated ‘closed door’ policy on women’s ordination was painfully incongruous with his otherwise pastoral nature, and for many, a betrayal of the synodal, listening church he championed,” the conference said. “This made him a complicated, frustrating and sometimes heart-breaking figure for many women.”
— President Emmanuel Macron of France, a largely Roman Catholic country, focused on the pope’s impact on the church, writing on social media that “from Buenos Aires to Rome, Pope Francis wanted the Church to bring joy and hope to the poorest. For it to unite humans among themselves, and with nature. May this hope forever outlast him.”
— Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of the few official visitors to see Francis during his recent hospitalization, alluded to the pope’s personal comfort and advice, saying it “never failed me, not even in times of trial and suffering.” She added: “We are saying goodbye to a great man and a great shepherd.”
— Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te expressed condolences on social media and said people there would “continue to draw inspiration from his lifelong commitment to peace, global solidarity, and caring for those in need.” The Holy See is among Taiwan’s only 12 remaining diplomatic allies while China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has been poaching others.
— South African President Cyril Ramaphosa noted the pope’s “extraordinary life story” and said “Pope Francis advanced a world view of inclusion, equality and care for marginalized individuals and groups, as well as responsible and sustainable custody of the natural environment.” Africa has seen some of the Catholic Church’s biggest growth in recent years.
— European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recalled the pontiff as an inspiration for the entire world, not just Christians. “He inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate,” she said on social media. “My thoughts are with all who feel this profound loss.”
— Israeli President Issac Herzog, whose role is mostly ceremonial, called Francis a man of “deep faith and boundless compassion.” Francis repeatedly criticized Israel’s wartime conduct in Gaza and said allegations of genocide, which Israel has adamantly denied, should be investigated. “I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages will soon be answered,” Herzog said on social media.
— The Palestine Red Crescent offered condolences to Christians, calling the pope “one of the most prominent supporters of justice and human dignity, including his noble stances regarding the suffering of the Palestinian people and their right to freedom and justice.”
— President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, an overwhelmingly Muslim country, said Francis leaves behind “a great human legacy that will remain etched in the conscience of humanity.”
— President Alexander Van der Bellen of Austria recalled how the pope traveled to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a key landing point for migrants seeking to reach Europe, to meet with refugees and commemorate those who died while trying to cross the Mediterranean. The Austrian leader said on social media that the pope’s impact resonated in ways large and small: “He ensured that homeless people near St. Peter’s Square could shower. He criticized dehumanizing words and gestures. That was Pope Francis.”
— President Vladimir Putin of Russia hailed the pope as a “consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice” and alluded to the pontiff’s efforts to foster interfaith dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches. Last year, the pope suggested Ukraine should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and not be ashamed to sit at the same table to carry out talks. Critics said that suggested he was siding with Russia. Francis tried to maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality during the war, but that often was accompanied by apparent sympathy with Russia’s rationale for invading Ukraine — like when he said NATO was “barking at Russia’s door” with its eastward expansion.
