Sen. Raphael Warnock had private meeting with the pope
ATLANTA, Ga. - Almost a year ago, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock had a private meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
“I was deeply honored to meet not only the leader of the Catholic Church, but a fellow traveler,” Warnock said of the late Pontiff, who died Monday.
“I’m deeply saddened by the ing of Pope Francis,” Warnock said Monday.
“As a longtime irer of the Pope and his work to center the poor and marginalized, I was honored to meet him and pray with him last year. I all those across the world mourning his death and celebrating his remarkable life.”
Warnock’s [apal visit was part of an April 2024 trip that involved briefings with the NATO Defense College and the World Food Programme.
White House reacts to Pope Francis’ death
The White House shared a memorial post for the late Pope Francis.
Warnock said the two spoke and prayed about humanitarian crises across the globe, including Sudan, Ukraine and Palestinians in Gaza, still in the midst of a deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas. Warnock said Francis, with the help of an interpreter, told him he was in regular with a small congregation of Catholics in Gaza.
Jorge Mario Bergolio was born in Argentina Dec, 17, 1936, he was appointed Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2001 and, taking the name of Pope Francis, was elected Supreme Pontiff on March 13, 2013.
The 88-year-old pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was hospitalized several weeks ago for treatment of pneumonia.
Warnock has led Ebenezer Baptist Church - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s former pastoral home - since 2005. Francis was elected by a papal conclave in 2013 at the age of 76, leading more than 1.3 billion Catholics across the globe.
Global tributes pour in to honor Pope Francis after his death
Tributes to Pope Francis instantly poured in from around the world from presidents to people of all walks of like.
Often revered and criticized as one of the most progressive popes in history, Francis had expressed to address climate change, immigration and the LGBTQ community.
Warnock said the late Pontiff’s position on those issues demonstrated his focus on human decency. “That doesn’t mean we always land on the same side of every issue, but what I see in him is an effort to center human dignity,” Warnock said.
The senator said he and the late Pope shared a few laughs, but “I’ll keep that between us,” he said.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
