Pope Francis, Mattarella: ‘A tireless peacemaker’

Vatican City (Vatican), 21 April (LaPresse) – “Pope Francis was a tireless bearer of the message of peace and love. He felt the immense responsibility of his high office and, probably, also the intensification of international tensions that risk distancing the world from the ideals of peace, hospitality, understanding, justice, dialogue and mutual respect, as Leo XIV so forcefully and authoritatively warned.” Thus the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, remembers Pope Francis one year after his passing. Mattarella commemorates Pope Francis in an article in L’Osservatore Romano. “The Italian people cherish the memory of his person and his teachings with affection and gratitude,” writes the Head of State, continuing: “His pontificate spanned difficult periods in international life and has left an indelible mark on the history of humanity, on the life of the Church, and on the conscience of peacemakers, of those who hunger and thirst for justice, and of women and men of good will. As Bishop of Rome and leader of the universal Catholic Church, Francis’s voice was authoritative and heard beyond all geographical, religious and cultural boundaries. With the moral and spiritual courage that distinguished him, he vigorously upheld the dignity of the person, responsibility towards the most vulnerable, the value of dialogue and the centrality of peace.”