USCIRF Offers Condolences on the Death of Pope Francis

USCIRF Offers Condolences on the Death of Pope Francis

Washington, DC –The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) offers its condolences to the Catholic community worldwide as it mourns Pope Francis, and to all religious communities who looked to him for inspiration as he led the Church for over 12 years. Pope Francis regularly called for the protection of religious freedom and vulnerable communities, particularly in areas of conflict or political turmoil—including Ukraine, Burma, and Nicaragua—and traveled to some of the world’s most challenging environments for religious freedom and other human rights, such as Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, and Iraq.

“We join the world in remembering Pope Francis’s remarkable legacy of mercy and compassion,” said USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck. “Amid his deep and abiding commitment to standing for the most vulnerable among us, he also made significant contributions to advancing the cause of international religious freedom. We are deeply grateful for his work advocating for greater inclusion and non-discrimination for vulnerable religious minorities, and for the rights of millions of people displaced by religious violence and genocide during his time as pontiff. As he declared in his final Easter message, just this week: ‘There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others.’”

The Vatican actively promoted religious freedom under Pope Francis’s leadership and direct engagement. In a 2014 address to an international conference on religious freedom, he described it as “a fundamental human right which reflects the highest human dignity” while lamenting the epidemic of religious persecution that “distorts reason, attacks peace and humiliates human dignity.” He carried this vital message to the United Arab Emirates in 2019, where he signed the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” with the head of the world’s most influential Sunni Muslim institution, al-Azhar. 

“As we offer our condolences to the global Catholic community,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Meir Soloveichik, “we also reaffirm our steadfast and abiding commitment to freedom of religion or belief for Catholics and all faith communities around the world.”

USCIRF’s 2025 Annual Report details religious freedom conditions in countries where religious repression and persecution remain serious and often life-threatening challenges—including many circumstances for which Pope Francis often expressed his concern and called for change.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].