Political and religious leaders in Ireland have paid tribute to Pope Francis as an “exceptional” leader whose papacy was “a gift to the world”.
The leader of the Catholic Church died aged 88, after months of battling ill health and just a day after appearing to bless the thousands of people in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Easter Sunday.
The President of Ireland said Pope Francis had approached his papacy with “a unique humility” and advocated for the importance of human dignity.
Michael D Higgins also said Pope Francis had sought to play a “positive role” on issues such as attitudes to women and the LGBT+ community in the Church.
Irish premier Micheal Martin said Pope Francis held “a special place in the hearts of Irish people”, while deputy premier Simon Harris said he “bore his illness with great dignity and courage”.
In tributes to the Pope, many recounted his 2018 visit to Ireland where he met survivors of clerical sex abuse and made a plea for forgiveness during a mass at Phoenix Park.
His death was announced on Easter Monday by Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.
Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said “there was something different about this Pope” and called him “a very courageous leader”.
“Francis’s papacy has been a profound gift to the Church and indeed to the world,” he said, speaking at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh.
The bells of the cathedral rang out 88 times on the announcement of the pontiff’s death, and a book of condolence on the Catholic bishops’ homepage – www.catholicbishops.ie – was available to sign.
“His vision wasn’t so much of a rigid structure or a distant authority, but a Church that was committed to encounter solidarity with humanity, particularly the weakest of humanity.”
Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell said that Francis’s shunning of fineries had “brought a great freshness to the papacy”.
“He wasn’t in some sense curtailed by the structures that were there, he was able to break free of those and that was, I think, a marvellous gift to the Church.”
He also said it was possible Pope Francis would have approved of the sudden death he experienced.
“He would have liked to have died, I think, with his boots on, and he certainly did that,” he said.
“He certainly wasn’t hamstrung by structures, and his real message was, ‘We need to get out and preach the gospel. We need to get out into the highways and the byways and the streets’, and that was something Francis did all of his life.”
Many remarked on the Pope’s advocacy of the plight of migrants, the poor and the marginalised during his 12-year tenure.
During a visit to Ireland, which was part of the World Meeting of Families, he met with people at the Capuchin Day Centre and prayed with people at the Knock Shrine in Co Mayo.
Mr Higgins said: “As President of Ireland, may I join with all those across the world, from their different stations in life, who have expressed such profound sadness on learning of the death of Pope Francis.”
Mr Higgins said he had discussed issues such as global hunger, poverty, climate change and the plight of migrants and indigenous peoples with the Pope “at length” during five meetings they had during his papacy.
The Pope’s 2018 visit to Ireland was overshadowed by abuse scandals by institutions and figures from the Catholic Church.
A meeting with survivors was added to the pontiff’s schedule on the Saturday evening.
The following morning, while on a flight from Knock to Dublin, the Pope penned a plea for forgiveness that he would deliver at the open-air mass at Phoenix Park.
Mr Higgins said that during the Pope’s 2018 visit to Ireland, Francis had spoken of “the scandal of child abuse, including in the Church, and its consequences for victims and families”.
“On such matters, and on others, such as attitudes towards women and those of the LGBTQ+ community within the Church, Pope Francis sought to play a positive role,” Mr Higgins said.
“I recall at the end of our meetings, he would say as to his work on such issues, ‘it is very difficult’, as he asked for and offered prayers.
“It is important that the steps he took are built upon as they constitute a source of hope in the years to come.”
It is with profound sadness that the world has learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. pic.twitter.com/6s96Oh750T
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) April 21, 2025
Irish premier Micheal Martin said people valued Pope Francis’s leadership and humility, and that he had been impressed by him when they met during his 2018 visit to Ireland.
“He was a voice for the voiceless, the marginalised, the poor, the migrants, and in a world which is turbulent and where there has been shocking conflict, I think he was a very pure voice of love and mercy,” he said on Monday.
“He got the fundamentals right in terms of urging people to cease conflict, to cease war and he promoted peace everywhere he went. He had the dignity of every human being as central to his philosophy.”
He said his legacy would be one of “opening up the Church” and to “set in train a journey of change that will still manifest itself in the time ahead”.
He said that people would also remember the Pope’s “expression of pain and shame” during his 2018 visit over historic child abuse in the Catholic Church.
It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, a remarkable figure who embodied compassion, humility, and service.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) April 21, 2025
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/nDuIowcI9M
Speaking at Fairyhouse on Monday, he said: “In Ireland, I think he did deal with the issues of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, acknowledged his own failings in that regard, and in many ways, his non-judgmental approach to life itself enabled him to deal with these issues, perhaps ultimately, more effectively than maybe others.”
Meanwhile, Mr Harris said the 2018 visit “was particularly significant, inspiring hope and renewal within the Church”.
The Tanaiste said his influence “transcended the Vatican, offering moral leadership during times of uncertainty”.
“On behalf of the people of Ireland, I offer my condolences to His Eminence Cardinal Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, the entire Roman Catholic Church, and all those mourning his loss worldwide,” he said in a statement.
“Pope Francis’s commitment to justice, peace, and human dignity touched millions. Through his advocacy for the poor, his calls for interfaith dialogue, and his focus on environmental issues, he was a beacon of hope and a voice for the voiceless. He urged us to care for the Earth as a moral responsibility, integral to the Christian faith.
“Pope Francis also worked to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, promoting reconciliation, unity, and compassion over division.
Statement by the Cathaoirleach, Senator Mark Daly, on the passing of Pope Francis pic.twitter.com/WFBBGGAWRS
— Houses of the Oireachtas - Tithe an Oireachtais (@OireachtasNews) April 21, 2025
“His emphasis on mercy, healing, and reconciliation continues to resonate in our efforts towards addressing the challenges of the past and building a more inclusive future.
“His teachings on poverty, migration, and refugees remain relevant as we confront global inequality and division.”
Speaker of Ireland’s parliament, Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy, said Pope Francis had “led the Church with extraordinary courage”.
“I share in the profound sadness of Catholics worldwide upon the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis,” she said.
“He touched the lives of so many people and worked tirelessly to create a more just and compassionate world.”
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