Statement from President Clinton on the Passing of His Holiness Pope Francis

Hillary and I mourn the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis and celebrate his remarkable life and legacy: promoting peace, economic inclusion, and social justice; and fighting climate change, particularly its threat to the lives and livelihoods of the world’s poorest citizens.

The 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church was an extraordinary one. He was the first Jesuit Pope and the first from the Americas. In taking the name of St. Francis, he made it clear that he would endeavor to embrace the entire world, including those of other faiths, those whom the church hadn’t always welcomed, and anyone whose daily struggles reflected the enduring truth of our common humanity. By his own example, he taught that every human being’s personal search—even a Pope’s—for a purposeful life was meaningful and important, and that power and politics must always make room for compassion and coexistence.

I was blessed to have met with His Holiness, and Hillary and I were honored when he took part in the Clinton Global Initiative 2023 Annual Meeting, where he spoke about his children’s hospital helping young people injured in Ukraine and invited the CGI community to pitch in and help, which they have. We join with countless millions of people around the world, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, in prayers of gratitude for a life well lived, rooted in faith, filled with energy and purpose, and dedicated to reconciliation and cooperation.