Photo of Pope Francis © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk, via the Flickr account of the Catholic Church England and Wales (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
On Easter Monday — a holiday for many in the Caribbean — news broke that Pope Francis, the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church, had passed away at 7:35 am local time. The cause of death was revealed as a cerebral stroke and heart failure. The pontiff, who had chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, had spent several weeks in a Rome hospital during February and March, suffering from pulmonary issues and double pneumonia. Since leaving hospital on March 23, he had been active, but very frail.
As a member of the Jesuit order, which has had a complex relationship with the Vatican, Pope Francis was an unconventional choice for the papacy. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936, he was also the first pope chosen from the Americas or the southern hemisphere. During his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936, gradually won over the hearts and minds of Catholics and non-Catholics alike. His compassion, advocacy for the poor, refugees and immigrants, and outreach to the LGBTQ community and other groups marginalised by and suffering from conflicts worldwide, gained him many admirers. His unflagging support for the Palestinian cause, including daily video calls to Palestinians in Gaza, was remarkable. In his Easter address to the faithful, just one day before he died, the pope observed, even as he again urged those at war to lay down their arms and engage in dialogue: “How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalised, and migrants!”
This is not to say that Pope Francis’ tenure was without difficult challenges, including lingering child sex abuse scandals, fierce opposition from conservative church members, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, while he maintained and upheld many traditional core beliefs of the church, including opposition to abortion, there is no doubt that he took meaningful steps towards strengthening women's roles in the church. He was a strong advocate for the environment and climate change through his “Laudato Si,” an encyclical letter published in 2015 on the ecological damage inflicted on what he called “our common home.” In this document, he pointed to the Saint after whom he took his name:
I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians. He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast.
This aspect of Pope Francis’ personal convictions was taken up by Caribbean commentators, including X user “Caribbean Girl” (@kokkinosgamma) from Jamaica, who shared a CNN report with several quotes from the Pope's encyclical.
Young Trinidadian journalist Ryan Bachoo observed on LinkedIn:
The timing of Pope Francis’ death is perhaps not coincidental. Easter Monday while tomorrow is Earth Day. He was a fierce advocate for the environment and wrote at length on climate change. His impact on the now famous Paris Agreement is less known. His work in Laudato si’ was so profound it reached the desk of President Obama and other world leaders in the build-up to COP21. The world left Paris with a clear target. As he said aboard a flight in 2015, ‘Nature never forgives. If you give her a slap, she will slap you back. I believe that we have exploited nature too much.’ Rest easy Holy Father.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness posted his tribute across social media channels, sharing on Instagram:
I am truly saddened, this morning, at news of the death of Pope Francis [who] dedicated his life to uplifting the poor and vulnerable.
As head of the Catholic church, Pope Francis was a champion and advocate for change and used his papacy to highlight issues of fairness, equity, climate change and more. His quiet humility endeared millions to his style and to a deeper belief in God.His death came at the end of the holiest period in the Christian calendar, with him making an appearance on resurrection Sunday reflects the Pope’s dedication to duty and to the people. Pope Francis has influenced and touched the lives of millions in every corner of the world […] May his soul rest in peace.
In a six-post thread on X, Prime Minister of Barbados and regional climate crisis champion Mia Mottley expressed her feelings at the loss, saying that Pope Francis was an inspiration and “in every sense, my hero”:
1/ The world today feels like a lonely place with the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis. For me, Pope Francis was the beacon of global moral strategic leadership. pic.twitter.com/JogYhcrVYh
— Mia Amor Mottley (@miaamormottley) April 21, 2025
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Stuart Young joined with his “Catholic brothers and sisters in mourning the passing of Pope Francis,” whom he called “a great and humble leader” who “focused on uplifting the poor and vulnerable […] approached modern topics with an open mind and was not afraid to suggest a need for change.” In that vein, he specifically referred to the pontiff's advocacy around climate change and his “genuine concern [with] regard to the treatment of migrants.”
The Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) shared on X/Twitter:
I extend condolences to all who mourn the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. His message of hope, unity and reconciliation resonated well beyond the Roman Catholic community.
May his soul rest in peace.
— CARICOM Secretary General (@SG_CARICOM) April 21, 2025
Commentary on the pontiff's passing in the Caribbean was largely positive. On Instagram, reggae singer Shaggy recalled his meeting with Pope Francis and bid him, “Walk good!” while on Facebook, a member of the Bahamas’ Youth Parliament shared a photograph of his own impactful encounter:
As a young island boy from the Caribbean, raised in a community grounded in faith, I never imagined I would have the honor of meeting him. The wisdom he shared with me during our brief encounter left a lasting impact on my life and purpose; a moment that will always be deeply meaningful.
Businessman Wayne Chen shared on X/Twitter…
From the moment he chose the name “Francis,” after Saint Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis signaled a papacy rooted in humility, compassion, and radical care for the poor and vulnerable. Over the years, he lived out that calling not from the grandeur of the Apostolic Palace, but…
— Wayne Chen (@wcchen) April 21, 2025
…while journalist Kimberley DeFalco shared a joyful photograph from Cuba on Bluesky:
“Pope Francis twirls a soccer ball that was presented to him by a member of the Circus of Cuba, during his weekly general audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, on January 2, 2019.”
Andrew Medichini / AP
#Popefrancis
— Kimberly DeFalco (@kimdefalco.bsky.social) 21 April 2025 at 15:14
A New York-based Haitian pointed out that Pope Francis was responsible for the presence of a Caribbean cardinal:
Hundreds are expected at St-Patrick's Cathedral to mourn the passing of #PopeFrancis in NYC.
Pope Francis promoted Bishop Langlois from the city of Les Cayes, also known as Aux Cayes (Okay, in Creole) to Cardinal in 2014. The first for Haiti representing at the Vatican and will… pic.twitter.com/xPooPoxpiJ— TheBoss (@JeanAmourMusk) April 21, 2025
On Facebook, the Antilles Episcopal Conference went one step further and shared several photographs of the regional Catholic Church's presence in Rome, while The Archdiocese of Port of Spain noted that “in one of the most challenging and complex periods of human history, Pope Francis showed us how to walk together toward Christ.”
Likewise, Bishop Clyde Harvey of the Diocese of St. George's, Grenada, shared his thoughts in a video on Facebook, calling Pope Francis “one of the great popes” with “a tremendous task” in a rapidly changing world.
In his will, Pope Francis asked to be buried in a simple underground tomb — inscribed only with “Franciscus,” his name in Latin — at St. Mary Major Basilica, home to his favourite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.
