Marcos mourns ‘best pope in my lifetime’  (2025)

The Philippine President remembers Pope Francis' ‘humility [that] brought many back to the fold of the Church’

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. remembered a “man of profound faith and humility,” as he grieved the passing of Pope Francis in a statement on Monday, April 21.

“The Philippines joins the Catholic community worldwide in grieving the loss of His Holiness Pope Francis. A man of profound faith and humility, Pope Francis led not only with wisdom but with a heart open to all, especially the poor and the forgotten,” said Marcos in a statement posted on his official social media accounts.

Marcos accompanied his post with a photo of himself kissing Pope Francis’ hand during a general audience at the Vatican. Prior to being President, Marcos met Pope Francis at least twice — in Rome back in July 2014 and then in January 2015 during Francis’ visit to the Philippines.

The Philippine President earlier joined calls worldwide to pray for Pope Francis during his hospitalization.

In a separate release from the Palace, the Philippine President called the late former head of the Roman Catholic Church “the best pope in my lifetime as far as I’m concerned.” “Ibang klase si Pope Francis (Pope Francis was one of a kind). That’s really sad. I love this pope,” the Palace release quoted Marcos as saying on the sidelines of meetings in Malacañang.

The Pope died Easter Monday in the Vatican after a month-long hospital stay due to double pneumonia.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is the first Latin American to head the Roman Catholic Church. Francis, throughout his papacy, dealt with internal dissent even as he gained superstar status globally in his push for interfaith dialogue, bridge building, and taking the side of the world’s marginalized.

His “rockstar” status was especially felt during a days-long visit to the predominantly-Roman Catholic Philippines back in 2015, primarily to console Filipinos still reeling from what was then the strongest storm to make landfall. From Metro Manila to Tacloban City, Francis was welcomed by large crowds of the Filipino faithful. In a Tacloban still struggling to recover from the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), Francis heard mass at a makeshift altar at the airport even as strong rain and wind from a coming storm forced him to cut his visit short.

Marcos traces his roots to Tacloban City in Leyte through his mother, the former first lady Imelda Marcos. The Romualdez clan dominates politics in the city, and was in power when Yolanda hit Tacloban.

“By example, Pope Francis taught us that to be a good Christian is to extend kindness and care to one another. His humility brought many back to the fold of the Church. As we mourn his passing, we honor a life that brought hope and compassion to so many, and inspired us to love one another as Christ loved us. It is a profoundly sad day,” added Marcos. – Rappler.com