{"id":159993,"date":"2025-04-21T12:07:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T11:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis"},"modified":"2025-04-22T22:38:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T21:38:46","slug":"champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis","title":{"rendered":"Champion of the poor \u2013 Tinubu mourns Pope Francis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has mourned the death of Pope Francis, describing him as a champion of the poor and a guiding light to millions<\/p>\n

Tinubu said Pope Francis served God and the Church till his death on Easter Monday at the age of 88.<\/p>\n

In a statement he personally signed, Tinubu urged the world to celebrate Pope Francis\u2019 legacies and honour his words.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cToday, with a heavy heart, I join the Catholic faithful and Christians worldwide in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, a humble servant of God, tireless champion of the poor, and guiding light for millions. His passing, coming just after the celebration of Christ\u2019s Resurrection, is a sacred return to his Maker at a time of renewed hope for Christians.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis Holiness served the Church and the Master of the Church until the end. In 2013, he stepped onto the global stage with a message of mercy, urging us to see the face of Christ in the marginalised, the refugees, the migrants, and the forgotten.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe challenged the powerful to act with justice, called nations to welcome the stranger, and reminded us that our common home\u2014this Earth\u2014is a gift we must protect for future generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was an instrument of peace who deeply embodied the message of Christ: love for God and love for humanity. In a time of division, he built bridges between faiths and the rich and the poor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a steadfast advocate for the developing world, where he consistently spoke against economic injustice and ceaselessly prayed for peace and stability in troubled regions.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis encyclicals were not only doctrinal and seminal but also timely and relevant. Through his pastoral letters, the Pope offered spiritual clarity and hope in an increasingly complex world. He charted a path of renewal for all humanity through his words and deeds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my 2025 Easter Message, I joined the Christian faithful in thanksgiving for the convalescing Pontiff. I was happy to watch his appearance to deliver the traditional Easter Sunday blessing in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlas, the Lord called him home a day after, making the world lose its most trenchant voice for justice and action against climate change. May the good Lord, whom he served with all his might, receive him into His eternal bosom.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we mourn the late Pontiff, let us also celebrate his legacy. Let us honour him not with words alone but with action: by lifting those who are down, healing our communities, and defending the dignity of every person.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of the government and the people of Nigeria, I extend condolences to the Catholic Church, the global Catholic community, and the Christian faithful.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has mourned the death of Pope Francis, describing him as a champion of the poor and a guiding light to millions Tinubu said Pope Francis served God and the Church till his death on Easter Monday at the age of 88. In a statement he personally signed, Tinubu […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":159992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,29,28,14,2660],"tags":[254,2549,945],"class_list":["post-159993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english","category-policy","category-to-homepage","tag-nigeria","tag-pope-francis","tag-tinubu"],"yoast_head":"\nChampion of the poor \u2013 Tinubu mourns Pope Francis - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has mourned the death of Pope Francis, describing him as a champion of the poor and a gui ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Champion of the poor \u2013 Tinubu mourns Pope Francis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has mourned the death of Pope Francis, describing him as a champion of the poor and a gui ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-21T11:07:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-22T21:38:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1745225668.365151.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Champion of the poor \u2013 Tinubu mourns Pope Francis\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-21T11:07:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-22T21:38:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis\"},\"wordCount\":466,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1745225668.365151.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Nigeria\",\"Pope Francis\",\"Tinubu\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"homepage-english\",\"Policy\",\"to-homepage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/champion-of-the-poor-tinubu-mourns-pope-francis\",\"name\":\"Champion of the poor \u2013 Tinubu mourns Pope Francis - 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