I join the multitudes across the world in mourning the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. As the spiritual head of more than 1.3 billion Roman Catholics, his death will be deeply felt across all continents. On behalf of the government and people of Guyana, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the global Catholic community and especially the Faithful of our local diocese.
Pope Francis’s election to the papacy twelve years ago generated a wave of excitement, especially considering that he was the first person from the Americas to become Pope. His papacy sparked important conversations about acceptance and belonging within the Church. The recent synod that he convened has laid the foundational stones for a new way of being Church.
Apart from his religious legacy, he will long be remembered for the simplicity of his lifestyle, his enlightened stance on global concerns such as climate change, inequality and migration, and his role in fostering improved inter-faith dialogue and relations.
The environment was close to his heart. In his encyclical letter, Laudato Si, Pope Francis called for shared responsibility for protecting the environment. Referring to the planet as “our common home”, His Holiness said:
We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide, still less is there room for the globalisation of indifference.
He highlighted the plight of migrants and refugees, reminding us that “[They] are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are children, women, and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more.”
He was a tireless advocate for addressing inequality, often framing this need as a moral and social imperative rooted in the principles of human dignity, solidarity, and the common good.
Pope Francis was a shepherd of compassion and conscience. His pontificate has had far-reaching impacts and assures him of a revered place in the history of the papacy and the course of human history. May he rest in eternal splendour!
Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali
President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana
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