Presidents and prime ministers honor the leader of the Catholic Church.
There are more than 1 billion Catholics in countries across the world. The pope is the leader of the Catholic Church, and for the last 12 years, Pope Francis served in that role. However, the pope died on April 21 at the age of 88. People all over the planet have been reacting to the news — including the leaders of many countries.
Popes live in Vatican City, a tiny country completely surrounded by Italy. The leader of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, spoke out after the pope’s death. “A great man has left us,” the prime minister said, calling it “deeply sad news.”
Other leaders in Europe also commented on the pope’s death. Keir Starmer is the prime minister of the United Kingdom. “Pope Francis was a pope for the poor, the downtrodden, and the forgotten,” Starmer said. “May His Holiness rest in peace.”
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about the pope during an Easter celebration at the White House in Washington, D.C. Trump called the religious leader “a very good man,” adding that Francis “especially loved people that were having a hard time, and that’s good with me.”
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance was one of the last leaders to meet with the pope. “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill,” Vance said. “My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.”
The world is in a time of change — with wars happening in Ukraine and Gaza. Soldiers from Russia are fighting to take over parts of Ukraine’s land. Volodymyr Zelensky is the leader of Ukraine. Zelensky said that Pope Francis “knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity.”
By Ryan Cramer
Updated April 21, 2025, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
This article is reprinted from News-o-Matic—Catholic Content for Kids. For subscription information, please visit https://www.gospelweeklies.com/a-new-partnership-catholic-content-for-kids-on-news-o-matic/
