{"id":2393,"date":"2025-04-22T16:44:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T15:44:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/?p=2393"},"modified":"2025-04-22T16:44:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T15:44:36","slug":"tinubu-trump-world-leaders-mourn-pope-francis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/?p=2393","title":{"rendered":"Tinubu, Trump, world leaders mourn Pope Francis"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Pope Francis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Several world leaders have been paying tribute to the late Head of Catholic Church, Pope Francis, who died on Monday.<\/p>\n

Francis, whose original name is Jorge Marlo Bergoglio, died in his residence in Vatican City in the early hours of Monday. He was 88.<\/p>\n

Nigeria;s President Bola Tinubu described the pope as “a humble servant of God, tireless champion of the poor, and guiding light for millions.”<\/p>\n

The president said the passing of the Catholic head after the celebration of Christ\u2019s resurrection is a sacred return to his maker at a time of renewed hope for Christians.<\/p>\n

He said the pope was a steadfast advocate for the developing world, where he consistently spoke against economic injustice and ceaselessly prayed for peace and stability in troubled regions.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, with a heavy heart, I join the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, a humble servant of God, tireless champion of the poor, and guiding light for millions. His passing, coming just after the celebration of Christ\u2019s Resurrection, is a sacred return to his Maker at a time of renewed hope for Christians.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis Holiness 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe challenged the powerful to act with justice, called nations to welcome the stranger and reminded us that our common home\u2014this Earth\u2014is a gift we must protect for future generations,\u201d President Tinubu said.<\/p>\n

US President Donald Trump said the pontiff was “a very good man, who loved, loved the world, and he especially loved people that were having a hard time, and that’s good with me.”<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pope Francis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Rest in Peace Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!” the president said in a post on his social media platform Truth.<\/p>\n

He issued a proclamation ordering flags at the White House and federal and military facilities in the US and abroad to be flown at half-mast until sunset on the day internment.<\/p>\n

Trump later posted, “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!”<\/p>\n

US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, said, \u201cMy heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vance, who met with the Pope in Vatican on Sunday, a day before he died, added, \u201cI was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously ill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, described Pope Francis as a \u201cdefender\u201d of \u201chumanism and justice.\u201d He commended his efforts to prmote dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic churches.<\/p>\n

Putin, who met the pope three times said, \u201cDuring all the years of his pontificate, he actively promoted dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as constructive interaction between Russia and the Holy See.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the pope was \u201ca man of deep faith and boundless compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herzog added, \u201cHe rightly saw great importance in fostering strong ties with the Jewish world and in advancing interfaith dialogue as a path toward greater understanding and mutual respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said, \u201cMay his soul rest in eternal peace, and may his legacy of compassion, humility, and service to humanity continue to inspire generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Emmanuel Macron of France said the late Catholic head had always been \u201con the side of the most vulnerable and the most fragile,\u201d and fought for \u201cmore justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The French president expressed his sincere condolences to Catholics the world over.<\/p>\n

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said Pope Francis said, \u201cWe grieve together with Catholics and all Christians.\u201d He added that the pope had \u201cprayed for peace in Ukraine and Ukrainians.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, said, \u201cPope Francis has returned to the Father\u2019s house. It is deeply sad news, because a great man has left us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, the Pope \u201cwill remain in our memories for his indefatigable commitment to the most vulnerable, for justice and for reconciliation.\u201d He further described the deceased as a man \u201cguided by humility and faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Pope Francis\u2019 \u201ctireless efforts to promote a world that is fairer for all\u201d would be remembered.<\/p>\n

British King Charles said he was \u201cmost deeply saddened\u201d, praising Pope Francis\u2019 \u201ccompassion\u201d commitment to unity, and the environment.<\/p>\n

Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin said, \u201cPope Francis\u2019 long and distinguished papacy was marked by his unwavering commitment to the principles of comparison, peace and human dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, \u201cI am sorry to hear of the death of Pope Francis. His commitment to peace, social justice and the most vulnerable leaves a profound legacy. Rest in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

India\u2019s Prime Minister Narenda Modi said, \u201cPope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Modi added, \u201cI fondly recall my meetings with him and was greatly inspired by his commitment to inclusive and all-round development.\u201d<\/p>\n

President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the Pope was a global figure who \u201cworked tirelessly to promote tolerance and build bridges of dialogue\u2026..and was a champion of the Palestine cause, defending legitimate rights and calling for an end to conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, \u201cI join the world in mourning the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, a messenger of hope, humility and humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said, \u201cCatholic and people of all faiths are saddened today by the passing of a spiritual leader who sought to unite humanity.\u201d He commended the pope\u2019s advocacy for inclusion, equality, and environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several world leaders have been paying tribute to the late Head of Catholic Church, Pope Francis, who died on Monday. Francis, whose original name is Jorge Marlo Bergoglio, died in his residence in Vatican City in the early hours of Monday. He was 88. Nigeria;s President Bola Tinubu described the pope as “a humble servant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":""},"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2393"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2394,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2393\/revisions\/2394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}