Coptic Orthodox Church UK
Media and Communications
Office
Comment from His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop
of London and Papal Legate to the United Kingdom, following the departure of
His Holiness Pope Francis
21 April 2025
We offer our deepest condolences to our beloved Catholic sisters and brothers in Britain and around the world on the passing of His Holiness, the Late Pope Francis. It will be a comfort to many that he was able to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord with his flock and appeared on the balcony in Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday before resting in peace early on Monday morning. We are reminded of and take comfort from our Lord’s assurances to Martha in John 11:25, when "Jesus said to her, ‘I am the Resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.’”
In life, Pope Francis was a shepherd to many as a man of humility, courage, and conviction. Whilst his approach on certain matters divided opinion, no one could deny the underlying depth and genuineness of his pastoral care and concern.
Having had the privilege of meeting with Pope Francis on numerous occasions throughout his papacy, I will especially treasure the memory of accompanying His Holiness Pope Tawadros II to the Vatican to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Christological Agreement between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. During this visit, in which we beheld the unprecedented image of the two Popes addressing the crowd in Saint Peter's Square, Pope Francis announced the inclusion of the 21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya in the Roman Martyrology; a powerful proclamation of our shared Christian heritage.
We pray repose for the soul of Pope Francis, comfort for his spiritual children, and wisdom and discernment for, when the time comes, the selection of a shepherd, that our Lord may choose that shepherd after His own heart.
Praying rest eternal. May he rest in peace, and rise in glory.
*Ends*
