Leaders of the German government on Monday mourned Pope Francis’ death, hailing him as an “advocate for the weak” and a “sign of hope.”
“With the death of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church and the world lose an advocate for the weak, a reconciling and a warmhearted person,” outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X.
“I greatly appreciated his clear view of the challenges we face,” he said.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, meanwhile, said in a letter to College of Cardinals dean Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re that both Catholic and Protestant Germans “mourn with me for an important pope.”
The world lost “a shining sign of hope, a credible advocate of humanity, and a convincing Christian,” Steinmeier wrote.
“His modesty, his spontaneity, and his humor, but above all his noticeably deep faith, have touched people all over the world — and given them support, strength, and guidance.”
