Moldovan president to attend funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis

President Maia Sandu will attend the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis.

On behalf of all citizens, the head of state will pay tribute to the former Pontiff, who dedicated his life to promoting compassion and fairness, as well as solidarity among people and nations.

Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 on 21 April morning, the Vatican announced in a statement.

Pope Francis ushered in a new age of leadership of the Catholic Church, when he was elected Pope in 2013. He brought many reforms to the church, but was known for his modesty and closeness to the people.

Among his significant achievements, there are the papal encyclical Laudato si ("Praise be to You", 2015), which addressed the climate crisis and advocated for good environmental stewardship, his efforts to promote unity among Catholics, non-Catholics and non-Christians, and his historic apologies to those who suffered sexual abuse by clergy.

Pope Francis, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is the first Jesuit pope and the first to be raised outside Europe since Syrian Pope Gregory III in the 8th century.