By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
VATICAN CITY/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Evangelical aid organization Samaritan’s Purse, urged Christians to pray for the Catholic Church following Pope Francis’s death.
“Pope Francis passed away this morning after battling health issues,” Graham said in a statement on social media. “He was able to have meetings and appear at some of the Vatican’s Holy Week observances in just the last couple of days,” added Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham.
“I had the opportunity to meet and talk with him last year when I went to Naples to preach. Pray for the Catholic Church as they begin the process of selecting the next pope.”
Graham included a photo of himself shaking hands with the pontiff as part of his post.
Other Christian leaders, including Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, also offered condolences. “Pope Francis served Christ’s church with wisdom, courage, and humility,” she stated. “Throughout his pastoral ministry, he served as an instrument of God’s justice and peace for all people and the whole of creation.”
Reverend Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders and an Evangelical public relations executive, urged Evangelicals to “pray for the Catholic Church as they mourn the passing of Pope Francis and prepare to select his successor.”
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Moore said he participated in the late pope’s pilgrimages to the United Arab Emirates, reportedly the first time a pontiff had ever visited the Arabian Peninsula and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Reverend Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, also noticed that
“We mourn the passing of Pope Francis, a visionary leader of faith and a tireless advocate for the marginalized,” tweeted Rodriguez.
In 2016, Rodriquez and the late pope gave speeches at the Together 2016 Evangelical event in Washington, D.C.
Rodriquez added, “His life was a testament to hope — the hope that the Church can shine as a beacon of light in a darkening world. Now, more than ever, that message is needed, and today, we have lost one of its most steadfast champions.”
Several Christian leaders had similar messages as they remembered the passing of the pontiff of some 1 billion Catholics at age 88.
The Vatican said Pope Francis had gone “in the arms of the Father.”
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Nigeria says it has provided intelligence support to the United States ahead of Christmas Day airstrikes targeting militants linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) group in the country’s northwest, where Christians had been among those suffering from Islamic extremism.
Authorities say a third of Kyiv is without heating after a deadly Russian drone and missile barrage on the Ukrainian capital cut off power supplies, leaving hundreds of thousands of people facing freezing temperatures. The attack, which reportedly killed at least one person and wounded two dozen others, prompted nearby Poland to scramble fighter jets and close civilian airports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he plans to travel to the United States in the coming days for a key meeting with U.S. President Donald J. Trump, as Washington pushes for possible peace talks to end Russia’s nearly four-year-long war against Ukraine.
A Christian father of three was murdered in Pakistan’s Punjab province by Muslims over the Christmas holiday because of his faith in Christ, confirmed sources told Worthy News on Friday.
Millions of people across hard-hit California faced mounting challenges Friday as a powerful rain and wind storm, fueled by an atmospheric river from the Pacific, continued to batter large parts of the state, following weather-related deaths earlier in the week amid widespread flooding, debris flows, and power outages.
European monarchs used their televised Christmas speeches to call for compassion, unity, and responsibility in a year marked by war in Ukraine, deep divisions, and widespread anxiety over Europe’s future.
Bangladesh Opposition Leader Returns Home After 17 Years, Draws Massive Crowds By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent DHAKA (Worthy News)— Bangladesh opposition leader Tarique Rahman has returned home after 17 years in exile, pledging safety, justice, and national unity if he becomes the troubled nation’s next leader following elections expected in February. Rahman arrived in Dhaka from London, where he had lived in exile in the United Kingdom since 2008, according to party officials. Hundreds of thousands of supporters welcomed the aspiring prime minister in the capital, Dhaka, lining roads from the airport and gathering for a … Read more