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Central European leaders mourn the pope's death

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media that Pope Francis "inspired millions far beyond the Catholic Church with his humility and love for the less fortunate. My thoughts are with all who feel this profound loss."

Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz posted on X: "Pope Francis will be remembered for his tireless commitment to the weakest in society, to justice and reconciliation."

Polish President Andrzej Duda wrote in a statement on X: "Pope Francis has returned today to the House of the Father. Throughout his pastoral ministry, he was guided by humility and simplicity … He was a great apostle of Mercy, in which he saw an answer to the challenges of the modern world."

Copyright 2025 NPR

Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has covered Germany's levelheaded management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing nationalist politics in Poland and creeping Chinese government influence inside the Czech Republic.
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