His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ expressed his condolences on the passing of Pope Francis.

To His Eminence, the Most Reverend Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Roman Catholic Church

Your Eminence,

Please accept my sincere condolences on the passing of Pope Francis.

The late Pontiff led the Roman Catholic Church during a time of epochal change (Joint Statement of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, 7).

His name is associated with an important stage in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The historic first meeting of their Primates in 2016 marked the desire of our Churches to heal "the wounds inflicted by conflicts of the distant and recent past" and to "unite efforts in witnessing to the Gospel of Christ and the shared heritage of the Church of the first millennium" (Joint Statement 5, 7).

For Christians worldwide, His Holiness’s commitment to standing in solidarity with the suffering and the marginalized held particular significance. Continuously reminding us of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in every poor and needy person, the Pope drew attention to often deliberately overlooked instances of injustice, violations of human dignity, and various forms of persecution. We will gratefully remember his statements in defense of religious freedom, particularly concerning the persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

May the All-Merciful Lord grant rest to the soul of His departed servant, who passed away on the second day of the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection by Christians worldwide, in the abode of the righteous. May He lead him "from death into life" (John 5:24), forgiving all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and may He grant him eternal memory!

With sincere condolences,

+KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUS’