Pope Francis dies aged 88, Canadian leaders pay tribute

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88.

The Vatican said in a statement released early this morning that the leader of the Catholic Church “returned to the house of the Father” at 7:35 am local time in Rome.

"He taught us to live the values ​​of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised,” Cardinal Farrell said in the statement.

"With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”

Francis, who was from Argentina, was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936.

I offer my deepest condolences to all Catholics on the passing of Pope Francis.

His humility, compassion, and steadfast faith had a profound impact on millions of Canadians and others around the world from every faith background.

We remember especially his historic “penitential…

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) April 21, 2025

He was a keen tango dancer and soccer fan, but his primary passion was the Church.

Francis became a Jesuit, worked his way up the church in Argentina and was made a cardinal by John Paul II in 2001.

He became Pope in 2013 when his predecessor, Benedict XVI, resigned.

Catholicism is Canada’s largest religion by number of adherents. There were about 11 million of them in 2021, according to Statistics Canada.

Francis is likely to be remembered in Canada as the pontiff who visited the country to apologize for residential schools, most of which were run by his church.

He visited Canada in 2022.

My statement on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis: pic.twitter.com/d9FHVRr0ye

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) April 21, 2025

Both Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre and Liberal Leader Mark Carney are Catholics, as is former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Writing on X in response to the Pope’s death, Poilievre said Francis “had a profound impact on millions of Canadians.”

He added: “We remember especially his historic 'penitential pilgrimage' to Canada, when he sought to begin a process of Reconciliation by the Church with his apology 'for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous Peoples.'”

Carney, meanwhile, said on the same platform that Francis was a “shepherd of deep moral clarity.”

The prime minister added: “With his visit to Canada and apology to Indigenous Peoples on residential schools, His Holiness heard from survivors and their descendants about that system's legacy of searing and enduring pain, and met it with an important step of accountability and healing on the shared path towards reconciliation.”