Pope Leo XIV has paid tribute to his predecessor, Pope Francis, on the first anniversary of his death, reflecting on Francis’s powerful message of divine mercy and his unwavering commitment to the world’s impoverished.
Speaking to reporters in Italian aboard the papal plane, as it travelled from Angola to Equatorial Guinea on the final leg of his four-nation African tour, the American pontiff stated: "We thank the Lord for the great gift of the life of Francis, to the church and the world."
