At UN tribute, diplomats recall Pope Francis’s advocacy for peace, the poor, and the unborn
May 01, 2025
The United Nations paid tribute to the late Pope Francis at a ceremony on April 29 (video).
“His Holiness Pope Francis was a man of faith—and a bridge-builder among all faiths,” said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (video). “He was a champion of the most marginalized people on earth. He was a voice of community in a world of division. A voice of mercy in a world of cruelty. A voice of peace in a world of war. And he was a steadfast friend of the United Nations, addressing Member States from this very podium in 2015.”
Guterres concluded:
In today’s world of division and discord, it is particularly meaningful that Pope Francis proclaimed 2025 to be the year of hope. He was forever a messenger of hope. Now it falls to all of us to carry this hope forward.
At his funeral on Saturday, I was deeply moved to see leaders from across all faiths and political stripes come together in solidarity to honor the life and achievements of Pope Francis—a rare spirit of unity and solemn reflection that we need now, more than ever. Our world would be a much better place if we followed his lifelong example of unity, compassion and mutual understanding through our own words and actions.
As we mourn the passing of Pope Francis, let us renew our pledge to peace, human dignity and social justice—the causes for which he dedicated every moment of his most extraordinary life.
“To the faithful around the world, Pope Francis was more than the leader of the Catholic Church,” said UN General Assembly President Philémon Yang, who hails from Cameroon (text, video). “He was a moral voice and a global conscience. With humility and courage, he championed the dignity of the marginalized, the poor and the voiceless.”
In his tribute, Argentine Ambassador Fabián Oddone emphasized the Pope’s defense of the unborn and elderly, as well as his defense of religious freedom:
Pope Francis was a spiritual leader whose passing humanity is mourning. He was also a beacon who illuminated the human dignity of which he was such a staunch defender, particularly that human dignity that shone through the eyes of those most forgotten: marginalized unborn children who suffered as a result of the scourge of abortion; older people, who were the victims of carelessness when euthanasia was placed on the table as an option; women who suffer trafficking and exploitation or children put up for sale as a result of surrogacy; and those who suffer the denials of their freedom and thought and religion rights so threatened for so many victims of bombs dropped or attacks conducted on religious grounds throughout the world. (text at “download script”)
In thanking his fellow diplomats for their tributes, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said:
Pope Francis recognized the fundamental importance of multilateralism, with the UN at its center as “the pledge of a secure and happy future” for generations yet to come. While not afraid to highlight the need for “reform and adaptation,” he was clear that the UN “remains necessary.” His words and actions bore witness to this ...
The best way we can commemorate Pope Francis today is to take that torch of hope and rediscover the spirit which, 80 years ago, created this Organization, so that together we can all work to hand on a better world to the generations that will come after us.
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