President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has described His Holiness, the late Pope Francis Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as a “humble man” who cared for every human being. Speaking Thursday, April 24, 2025 after signing the book of condolence for the late Pope Francis at the Vatican Embassy in Mamba Point, Monrovia, President Boakai said that the former head of the Catholic Church was humble and very concerned about the world’s situation; he will be missed because he was there to make sure that the world becomes a better place to live.
According to President Boakai, when he met the Pope in the Vatican City, he promised to visit Liberia if he recovered from his illness. President Boakai: “It was a blessing to meet a great man who was concerned about humanity, the welfare of people. Pope Francis gave me the opportunity to talk with him concerning the war in the Middle East and the war around.”
On Monday, April 21, 2024, the world woke up to the sad news of the head of the Catholic Church in the World, His Holiness, Pope Francis, who died at around 7:35 a.m. at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
The death of the Argentine-born pope (Holy Father) came as a shock, as many saw him during the Easter celebration mass at the Vatican on Sunday, April 20, 2025.
According to Vatican news, the death of the Pope came as a surprise after spending thirty-eight days in the hospital battling a severe case of double pneumonia. His death marks the end of a complex and often turbulent papacy defined by bold reforms, internal tensions, and a relentless focus on the poor and marginalized.
Elected in 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the late Pope Francis will be remembered as a leader who challenged centuries-old traditions in a bid to modernize the Church and bring it closer to the faithful across the globe.
The Catholic Pope was the first Latin American pontiff and a transformative figure in modern Catholicism. For their part, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Liberia (CABICOL) has described the death of the Holy Father as a “profound loss,” saying that it has reverberated throughout the global Catholic community, eliciting expressions of sorrow and tribute from believers and leaders alike.
