Lula says Pope Francis was “the greatest religious leader of the 21st century”

After participating in Pope Francis’ funeral, this Saturday (26), at the Vatican, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva classified the Pontiff as “the most important religious leader of the first quarter of the 21st century.” In an interview with journalists after the ceremony, Lula exalted Pope Argentine’s trajectory and stated that his death represents a not only spiritual but also political loss.

“Francis was not just a Pope. He was an emotion, a heart, a leader who was concerned with the war in Ukraine, hungry, the suffering of the whole world,” said the president.

Also read: World says goodbye to Pope Francis in a historic ceremony in the Vatican

Lula pointed out that the Brazilian entourage to the funeral, which included the first lady Janja da Silva, ministers, deputies and senators, was a way to “pay a debt” of recognition to the pontiff. “It was a man who provided services to humanity,” he said.

The president also expressed the desire for the next Pope to follow Francis’ legacy: “God had wanted to have the same heart and the same commitment to inequality.”

According to Lula, participation in the ceremony in Rome was a duty fulfilled “as a Christian, religious and political.”

See interview:

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