Donald Trump says goodbye to Pope Francis on Truth Social: "May God Bless him and all who loved him"

President Donald Trump expressed his condolences on Truth Social following the death of Pope Francis, offering a tribute to the late pontiff. The pope’s passing on April 21, 2025, marked the end of a significant era for the Catholic Church, with leaders worldwide paying their respects.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, had a complex relationship with Trump. While both leaders shared a connection over their Catholic faith, the pope was also a vocal critic of Trump’s immigration policies, particularly during his first term.

ALSO SEE: Who is Raymond Burke, the American cardinal supported by Trump, as Pope Francis' successor?

Donald Trump expressed his condolences to Pope Francis

President Donald Trump paid his respects to Pope Francis in a post on Truth Social following the news of the pontiff's death.

“Rest in Peace, Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!” Trump wrote on his social media account.

In a follow-up post, Trump ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-mast to honor the pope's death.

“I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House, on all public buildings, military posts, naval stations, and all U.S. naval vessels until sunset on the day of his interment,” Trump stated.

He added that his order extended to U.S. embassies worldwide.

The White House posted a short commemorative message on X following the news, captioned "Rest in Peace, Pope Francis", moments after JD Vance issued a statement, posting pictures of Trump's 2017 visit along with Vance Sunday.

Trump's criticism to Pope Francis

Trump had previously been a vocal critic of Pope Francis after the pontiff criticized his decision to build a wall in the southern boarder with Mexico in 2016.

At the time, Pope Francis stated that “a person who thinks only about building walls [...] and not about building bridges, is not Christian,” leading Trump to label the pope's words "disgraceful."

Trump had declared his desire to deport nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants from the U.S., and despite identifying as a "proud Christian", he blamed Mexico for the pope's remarks, calling the then-79-year-old's words "disgraceful", according to a Facebook post in February 2016.

“For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President, I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President.

“No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn, and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant,” said Trump.

During a visit to the Vatican in 2017, Trump described Pope Francis as “a humble man, very much like me, which probably explains why I like him so much!”