When Pope Francis died on April 21, aged 88, tributes not only poured in from politicians and representatives of the world’s 1.3 billion Roman Catholics, but also from leaders of different religious traditions.
Justin Welby, the former archbishop of Canterbury who became leader of the Anglican church the same year Francis became pope, said Francis was “an example of humility” who “constantly reminded us of the importance of serving the poor, always standing with those who faced persecution and hardship.”
The Dalai Lama said he was an example of service to others, “consistently revealing by his own actions how to live a simple, but meaningful life.”
Chief rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, remembered Francis for his, “unwavering dedication to promoting peace and goodwill worldwide.”
The tributes from numerous global religious leaders and communities are a testimony to Francis’ interreligious engagement during his 12-year papacy — and the primacy he placed on values like mercy, dialogue with the marginalized, interdependence and the shared urgency of working for the common good.
But in the days since his death, I also heard from numerous practitioners in the field of Christian-Muslim dialogue who spoke of the particular, and personal, impact Pope Francis had on them.
Throughout his papacy, Francis regularly called on people of faith to practice interfaith dialogue, friendship, and collaboration. He himself also engaged in numerous trips, consultations and one-to-one dialogues throughout his 12-year papacy.
When Francis became pope, religiously-tinged conflicts in Northern Mali, Bangladesh, the Philippines and in the Middle East were regularly circulating in the news. And in the wake of Arab Spring, al-Dawla al-Islamiyya (also known as Islamic State, IS, ISIS or ISIL) emerged to occupy large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.
Given the context, and just ten days into his papacy, Pope Francis indicated that dialogue with Muslims was going to be an important part of his papacy, noted Jordan Denari Duffner, a Catholic public theologian, author, educator and scholar of Muslim-Christian relations. “He understood that the health of our relationship with God is dependent on the relationships we form with others, including those of other faith traditions,” she said. “He often talked about dialogue as ‘sharing our joys and sorrows’ and Pope Francis embodied this in his relationships with Muslims.”
Across his papacy, Francis visited numerous Muslim majority countries, toured mosques, issued statements and collaborated with Muslim leaders. In July 2013, just four months into his papacy, Francis visited Lampedusa, off the southern coast of Sicily, when the island was dealing with a historic number of new arrivals — and migrant deaths — included many from Muslim-majority North Africa to Italy. Later, he became the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq.
Craig Considine, professor of sociology at Rice University in Houston, Texas, said those trips during Francis’ papacy made it clear that the late pontiff was dedicated to interfaith relations. Considine pointed to Pope Francis’ visit to war-torn Mosul, in 2021, in particular. “He held a mass and brought Christians and Muslims together in the call of interfaith harmony,” he said. “And that’s one of the ultimate legacies of his pontificate is that he did more than any pope in recent memory to promote Christian and Muslim harmony in particular.”
Pope Francis also developed collaborative friendships with numerous Muslim leaders, who also took the initiative to work with him. For example, Duffner said the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Egypt, Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, and his associate, Mohammed Abdelsalam, made a point to reach out to the Vatican to mend what had become a fractured relationship under Francis’ predecessor. Together, Al-Tayyeb and Francis signed the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, also known as the “Abu Dhabi Declaration,” with the aim of ushering in a new era of interreligious relations between Catholics and Muslims.
Francis also signed the Istiqlal Declaration, with the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, along with other Indonesian interfaith figures. He was also an outspoken advocate for peace and justice in Gaza, and in Israel-Palestine more broadly, and sought to help his fellow Catholics resist xenophobic tendencies and anti-Muslim stereotyping during the height of the Syrian refugee crisis.
That is why, Duffner said, in the wake of his death, Francis is being remembered fondly not only by Catholics across the globe, but Muslims too. “Pope Francis spoke up not just for the rights of his fellow Christians around the world, but also Muslims and others,” she said.
Perhaps more important than the official visits and signed declarations, Duffner said, was how “Francis forged authentic friendships with the Muslims he met—everyone from major figureheads to small children.
“He was also attuned to the spiritual riches in the Islamic tradition, and he was keenly aware that Muslims have a deep and meaningful connection to God,” she said.
That personal connection, and palpable commitment, to Muslims and Christian-Muslim dialogue, had a deep impact on individuals like Alissa Wahid, founder of Gusdurian Network Indonesia, which works with grassroots-level activists across Indonesia to promote interreligious reconciliation, active citizenship and democracy. Wahid said she often found inspiration in Pope Francis’ words in her own work.
Having enjoyed an audience with him three separate times, Wahid reflected on how each meeting was marked by a round of sincere greetings, hugs and encouragement to those in attendance.
Upon his passing, she shared how the 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, called on people of all faiths to restore human relations based on justice, rejecting the misuse of religion in power conflicts. Wahid said she not only appreciated the words, but his actions in this regard. “He was a world figure who spoke out strongly against the cruelty towards Palestinians in Gaza, even until the last days before his death,” she said.
“The Pope always used his authority and leadership for humanity,” Wahid said. “True compassion cannot be faked or fabricated. It will seep into every second of life’s journey. Pope Francis is the proof.”
Abdullahi Mustapha, a Muslim in Nigeria’s north-central Nasarawa state said upon Pope Francis’ death, he reflected deeply on how the pontiff impacted his life as a peacebuilder in a region where violence between herders (mostly Muslims) and farmers (predominantly Christian) has resulted in the destruction of religious sites and death.
“[Francis’] message was simple, but motivating,” said Mustapha. “He said the goal of interreligious dialogue is not only to prevent violence, but establish friendship.
“I had heard this before from other sources, but his emphasis on friendship and fraternity showed he had a heart open to all of humanity,” Mustapha said. “I felt seen, inspired, and loved, even if I did not know him. Even though I am not Catholic, he became a spiritual role model to me in my work promoting peace and cohesion in Nigeria — to reach across the divides, calling for unity in a fragmented world.”
As the College of Cardinals prepares to meet in conclave on May 7, 2025 and elect a new pope in the wake of Francis’ death, the question becomes what will happen to the progress made in Christian-Muslim relations during his papacy.
In January, Pope Francis named new Indian cardinal George J. Koovakad to lead the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. The dicastery is responsible for dialogue with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and other faith traditions. Koovakad told Vatican News he believes diversity is a richness, adding “I was born and raised in a multicultural and multireligious society where all religions are respected and harmony is preserved.”
As far as what happens on the ground, in places like Egypt, Indonesia or northern Nigeria, Mustapha said he believes no matter who is pope, the commitment to pluralism rests with every person of faith.
“We are all responsible to seek cohesion across religious and ethnic divides,” Mustapha said, “and Francis showed us all the way to embracing those on the ‘other’ side.
“May his legacy live on in each of us.”
Ken Chitwood
Ken Chitwood is a religion nerd, writer and scholar of global Islam and American religion based in Germany. His work has appeared in Newsweek, Salon, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Houston Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, Religion News Service, Christianity Today, and numerous other publications. Follow Ken on Twitter @kchitwood.
