UN Photo/Rein Skullerud Secretary-General António Guterres (right) during an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome in December 2019.

 UN Secretary-General António Guterres has joined the world in mourning the death of His Holiness Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday in Vatican City aged 88. 

The pontiff - born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina - was elected in March 2013.  He was the first priest from the Americas region to lead the Catholic Church worldwide and a strong voice for social justice globally.

Mr. Guterres described him as a messenger of hope, humility and humanity.

Legacy and inspiration

“Pope Francis was a transcendent voice for peace, human dignity and social justice. He leaves behind a legacy of faith, service and compassion for all — especially those left on the margins of life or trapped by the horrors of conflict,” he said.

Furthermore, he “was a man of faith for all faiths — working with people of all beliefs and backgrounds to light a path forward.”

The Secretary-General said the UN was greatly inspired by the Pope’s commitment to the goals and ideals of the global organization, a message that he conveyed in their various meetings.

Strong environmental message

The Secretary-General recalled that the Pope spoke of the organization’s ideal of a “united human family” during his historic visit to UN Headquarters in New York in 2015.

“Pope Francis also understood that protecting our common home is, at heart, a deeply moral mission and responsibility that belongs to every person,” said Mr. Guterres, noting that his second Encyclical – Laudato Si – was a major contribution to the global mobilisation that resulted in the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change.

“Pope Francis once said: “The future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies…[it] is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us,’” he added.

The Secretary-General concluded by saying that “our divided and discordant world will be a much better place if we follow his example of unity and mutual understanding in our own actions.”

UN Photo/Kim Haughton Pope Francis addresses the General Assembly during his visit to United Nations Headquarters in 2015.

Voice for change

During his September 2015 visit to the UN, Pope Francis delivered a wide-ranging address to leaders gathered in the General Assembly Hall to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He urged global action to protect the environment and end the suffering of "vast ranks of the excluded.”  He also suggested that the UN could be improved and can “be the pledge of a secure and happy future for future generations”.

“The international juridical framework of the United Nations and of all its activities, like any other human endeavour, can be improved, yet it remains necessary,” he said.