April 29, 2025
Your Excellency, President of the General Assembly. Your Excellency, Secretary-General. Distinguished Delegates, and Honored Guests.
Today, we gather to pay tribute to a remarkable leader and a beacon of compassion – Pope Francis.
His Holiness dedicated his life to the service of humanity, transcending borders, faiths, and cultures to promote a message of love, humility, and solidarity.
We offer deepest condolences to the Catholic faithful around the world, the Holy See, and all those whose lives were enriched by Pope Francis’s moral and spiritual leadership.
Pope Francis served as a spiritual guide to over one billion Catholics worldwide, including more than 50 million in the United States.
From the outset of his papacy, the United States worked closely with Pope Francis.
Americans remember well his visit to our country in 2015, during which he touched the lives of many.
The Pope’s efforts to promote interreligious dialogue created a foundation for greater respect among people of differing cultures and faiths.
Pope Francis was a dedicated leader and was committed to serving the most vulnerable and defending religious freedom.
He broke ground as the first pope from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere.
Pope Francis inspired people across the globe by reminding them that the Church is “like a field hospital” for the broken and wounded.
He will also be remembered for his travels around the globe sharing messages of truth, peace, and unity.
Pope Francis urged countries to pursue dialogue, reconciliation, and genuine peace.
His heartfelt appeals – delivered even in this very chamber – echoed the United Nations’ founding promise: that diplomacy must prevail and that the scourge of war must be overcome.
We stand united in the belief that freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief are twin pillars of liberty.
The people of the United States continue to mourn and pray for Pope Francis. God rest his soul.
I thank you.