Pope Francis died: tribute to a voice of peace and justice

Pope Francis died this Monday, April 21, 2025, at 7:35 am, at the age of 88, April 21, 2025 on Monday. “The bishop of Rome, François, returned to the father’s house,” the Vatican announced in a sober and emotional press release.

Pope Francis distinguished himself as a true humanist, whose message far exceeded the borders of the Catholic Church, while remaining faithful to the Spirit of Christianity. His deep commitment resonated far beyond believers, touching all those who aspire to a fairer and more fraternal world.

We will remember him for his plea in favor of refugees – as when he welcomed Syrian families to the Vatican -, for his pressing call for the protection of the planet through his encyclical Laudato if ‘for his criticisms of predatory capitalism, and more recently for their defense of the rights of the Palestinian people, denouncing violence in Gaza as a real genocide.

Pope Francis also marked his pontificate by his sincere commitment in favor of interreligious dialogue, in particular between Muslims and Christians. He multiplied the gestures of peace, like his historical meeting with Ahmed al-Tayeb, the great imam of Al-Azhar in 2019, symbolizing a will to bring together and mutual respect between religions.

In this same dynamic of dialogue and peace, one of the most significant gestures of his pontificate was his meeting with Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest Shiite authority of Iraq. For the first time in history, a pope was received in Najaf by Sistani himself, a venerated figure of Shiite Islam, 90 years old and rarely appeared in public. This exchange, of an immense symbolic significance, aimed to reach out to Shiite Islam, while carrying the voice of Christians of Iraq – a community reduced to around 1 % of the population – which regularly denounce the discrimination of which they are victims.

In this period of mourning, we present our sincere condolences to all Christians, while welcoming the memory of a man whose convictions have joined those of many Muslims: justice for oppressed, defense of human dignity, and hope in a better world, based on dialogue and fraternity.