Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Kenyatta’s statement on the passing of Pope Francis

Kenyatta’s statement on the passing of Pope Francis

After the Vatican announced the passing of Pope Francis during the morning hours of Easter Monday, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta released the below statement:

“This is a tremendous loss for the Church and for the world,” Kenyatta said. “He led with humility, spoke with moral courage and never stopped reminding us of our obligation to care for ‘the least of these.’

“I still remember seeing him on the Parkway during his first visit to Philadelphia—standing among thousands, I felt the weight and wonder of that moment. It’s a memory that’s stayed with me.

“During that same trip, he signed a mural made in his honor on the back of St. Malachy School—right in the heart of my legislative district. A small act, but a lasting symbol of his reach and resonance.

“May he rest in power—and may we carry forward his call to serve, to love, and to lift up those who’ve been pushed to the margins.”