Statement by the Prime Minister on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis

April 21, 2025
Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today issued the following statement on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis:

“Today, I join Canadians and Catholics around the world in mourning the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome – a shepherd of deep moral clarity, spiritual courage, and boundless compassion. From every corner of the globe, the prayers of the faithful go with Pope Francis as he journeys to his eternal rest.

“Through his teachings and actions, Pope Francis redefined the moral responsibilities of leadership in the 21st century. In Laudato si’ (Praised Be), his landmark encyclical, he gave voice to ‘the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’, reminding us that ecological degradation and social injustice are deeply intertwined and demand our shared, urgent leadership.

“His vision of fairness between the generations was rooted in concrete calls for action, policy, and personal responsibility. I had the privilege of working alongside His Holiness and his team through his Council for Inclusive Capitalism, and I saw firsthand his unwavering commitment to placing human dignity at the centre of our economic and political systems.

“At the Vatican meeting in 2014, ‘The Global Common Good: Towards a More Inclusive Economy’, Pope Francis issued a challenge that has guided me ever since. He likened humanity to wine – rich, diverse, full of spirit – and the market to grappa – distilled, intense, and at times disconnected. He called on us to ‘turn grappa back into wine’, to reintegrate human values into our economic lives.

“His Holiness understood, and taught, that value in the market must never eclipse values in society. He showed us that we must not only measure what we value, but also value what truly matters.

“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 toward reconciliation.

“He extended his papacy to the furthest margins, always attentive to the poor and most vulnerable, as in all aspects of his lifelong service.

“Pope Francis leaves a spiritual and ethical legacy that will shape our collective conscience for generations to come. May we honour his memory by continuing to work for a world that reflects the solidarity, justice, and sustainability that he so powerfully embodied.

“Requiescat in pace.”