Dhaka, Apr 21 (V7N)- Chief Advisor of the interim government Dr. Muhammad Yunus has expressed profound grief over the death of Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church. The Vatican City officially announced his death on Monday morning through a video statement, confirming that Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88.

In a condolence message, Dr. Yunus described Pope Francis as “a beacon of peace, compassion, and interfaith harmony,” and acknowledged his contributions to humanitarian causes and global unity. “The world has lost a moral compass whose voice transcended faiths and boundaries,” the Chief Advisor said.

Pope Francis, born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1969 and became the 266th Pope on March 13, 2013. He was the first Pope from the Americas and the first from the Southern Hemisphere, as well as the first non-European pope in more than a millennium.

Pope Francis had a special connection with Bangladesh, having visited the country in 2017. During his visit, he expressed solidarity with the persecuted Rohingya refugees who had fled violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. "We have received reports that our Rohingya brothers and sisters are being persecuted. I express my solidarity with them. I pray to God to protect them," he said at the time.

The death of Pope Francis has cast a deep shadow of mourning among Catholics and people of all faiths around the world. Dr. Yunus extended his condolences to the Vatican, the global Catholic community, and the people of Argentina.

A state condolence book is expected to be opened at the Vatican Embassy in Dhaka.

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