Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement they are mourning Pope Francis’ death as well as celebrating “his remarkable life and legacy: promoting peace, economic inclusion, and social justice; and fighting climate change, particularly its threat to the lives and livelihoods of the world’s poorest citizens.”
Pope Francis meets with former President Bill Clinton during an audience at the Apostolic Palace, July 5, 2023 in Vatican City, Vatican.
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“I was blessed to have met with His Holiness,” the statement said, “and Hillary and I were honored when he took part in the Clinton Global Initiative 2023 Annual Meeting, where he spoke about his children’s hospital helping young people injured in Ukraine and invited the CGI community to pitch in and help, which they have.”
“In taking the name of St. Francis, he made it clear that he would endeavor to embrace the entire world, including those of other faiths, those whom the church hadn’t always welcomed, and anyone whose daily struggles reflected the enduring truth of our common humanity,” the Clintons said. “By his own example, he taught that every human being’s personal search — even a Pope’s — for a purposeful life was meaningful and important, and that power and politics must always make room for compassion and coexistence.”
