H.E. Mgr. Mariano Crociata, President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), expresses deep sorrow at the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, which occurred today, Monday 21 April 2025. Read the Statement
Pope Francis greets faithful in St. Peter’s Square. (Photo: neneo/Shutterstock
“With profound gratitude and emotion, we remember our Holy Father Francis, who tirelessly led the Church with courage and strength through years marked by multiple crises all over the world. In such difficult times, he was never afraid to face the challenges and to offer his profethic voice, always motivated by the desire to bring the joy of the Gospel to the men and women of our time.
Pope Francis was truly one of the great witnesses of our times, beloved and respected even by non-believers, and whose first concern was always directed towards the most fragile members of God’s Creation. His voice spoke to hearts with simplicity and depth, through concrete gestures of love, listening and closeness.
COMECE had the privilege of maintaining regular contact with the Holy Father throughout his pontificate. On every occasion, the bishops and staff of COMECE received his wisdom and encouragement to pursue with strength our mission of dialogue with the institutions of the European Union.
COMECE President Mgr. Mariano Crociata is received by Pope Francis on Friday, 26 January 2024. (Photo: Vatican Media/COMECE)
We remember with emotion and inspiration the Holy Father’s visit to the European Parliament in 2014, the meeting at Rethinking Europe in 2017, the audience with the full COMECE Assembly in 2023, as well as the annual audiences granted to our Presidency and the precious messages the Pope consistently dedicated to the European Union, promoting dialogue and peace. We remember Pope Francis’ visits and presence around the world, beloved and acclaimed by the faithful among the trees of the Amazon and the ziggurats of Iraq. We remember him alone on the cold, rain-soaked steps of St. Peter’s Basilica praying for the whole humanity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We thank Pope Francis for having offered an inspired, creative, and regenerating leadership to the Church — for example, by standing firmly alongside the victims of sexual abuse within the Church and promoting genuine listening through the Synod on Synodality, with the aim of making everyone a protagonist in vital aspects of the Church’s structure and practices.
We are grateful to Pope Francis for having renewed our attention toward ecology and sustainability, offering the encyclical Laudato Si’ as a powerful instrument to promote integral development policies that take into account all aspects — not just the economic one.
October 28, 2017 : Pope Francis attends to the dialogue (Re) Thinking Europe A Christian contribution to the future of Project Europe, at new synod hall in the Vatican.
We are also thankful for the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, consistently and firmly reaffirming that differences enrich us and that, despite everything, we are all brothers and sisters. For this reason, we must come closer to one another, building bridges instead of walls, abandoning war as a means of resolving conflicts, and embracing listening, dialogue, and diplomacy.
In this Jubilee Year — one of the Holy Father’s final great efforts — we are grateful to the Pope for his constant attention to Europe, always urging us to make it better by strengthening its vocation for peace.
In his memory, and in the light of his example, we will continue with renewed commitment our service to the Church and to the common good of Europe.
Thank you, Holy Father. Rest in peace.”