JD Vance joins world tributes to Pope Francis after Easter Sunday meeting

Public figures across the world have paid tribute to Pope Francis following his death, including US vice president JD Vance who met the “obviously very ill” pontiff on Sunday.

Mr Vance met Pope Francis in Rome on Easter Sunday, just hours before the pontiff’s death aged 88.

Months after Francis criticised President Donald Trump’s administration over their plans to deport migrants en masse, Pope Francis offered Mr Vance three chocolate Easter eggs for his three young children in Sunday’s brief meeting.

“I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis,” Mr Vance posted to X.

“My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.

“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill.”

Mr Vance said he will “always remember” the pontiff for a “beautiful” homily he gave after the outbreak of Covid-19 in which Pope Francis called for listeners to “embrace hope”.

Mr Trump later posted to his Truth Social account: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Pope Francis wanted to “unite people with one another and with nature” as he shared a tribute to “a grieving world”.

“From Buenos Aires to Rome, Pope Francis wanted the Church to bring joy and hope to the poorest,” Mr Macron said on X.

“To unite people with one another and with nature.

“May this hope be reborn endlessly beyond him.”

Fondly recalling meetings with the pontiff, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modhi said he was “deeply pained” by the death.

“Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world,” he said in a statement posted to X.

“From a young age, he devoted himself towards realising the ideals of Lord Christ. He diligently served the poor and downtrodden.

“For those who were suffering, he ignited a spirit of hope.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky shared a photograph from a 2023 meeting he had with Francis in which the pontiff told him he is “praying for peace” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“He knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity,” Mr Zelensky said in his statement.

“He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians.

“We grieve together with Catholics and all Christians who looked to Pope Francis for spiritual support.”

US actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg said Francis had a “love of humanity and laughter”.

Goldberg met the Pope twice in 12 months, first in 2023 and then as one of a group of 100 of the world’s most famous comedians who congregated at an event organised by the Vatican in Rome in 2024.

The meeting of comics was organised by the Vatican, with Pope Francis stating at the event that comedians have the “power to spread serenity and smiles”.

“You unite people because laughter is contagious,” he told the congregation.

Goldberg said in a post to Instagram: “He was the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and none believer.

“He felt more like Pope John the 23rd who made belief real.

“Sail on Pope Francis with your love of humanity (and) laughter.”

Former US president Barack Obama said Pope Francis “made us want to be better people”.

Sharing a picture to X of the pair smiling as they shook hands in the White House’s Oval Office in 2015, Mr Obama said: “Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people.

“In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another.

“May we continue to heed his call to ‘never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope’.”

Meanwhile, fellow former US president Joe Biden said the pontiff will be remembered as “one of the most consequential leaders of our time”.

“He was unlike any who came before him,” Mr Biden said on X.

“He commanded us to fight for peace and protect our planet from a climate crisis. He advocated for the voiceless and powerless. He made all feel welcome and seen by the Church.

“He promoted equity and an end to poverty and suffering across the globe. And above all, he was a Pope for everyone.

“He was the People’s Pope – a light of faith, hope, and love.”

In televised remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the pope died immediately after Easter, suggesting that “this is a special sign that the person has lived their life not in vain and has done a lot of good”.

Mr Putin said Russians will always remember his “highly positive attitude to Russia”.