Angelina Jolie to Chris Rock, celebrities who have praised Pope Francis over the years

Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 on April 21, 2025. Pope Francis, whose birth name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed away on Easter Monday at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, according to the BBC.

According to the news outlet, Cardinal Kevin Farrell revealed via a statement:

“This morning at 07:35 local time (05:35 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father”

As per US Weekly, the Pope had been sick since February, when he was receiving treatment for bronchitis, and he later developed pneumonia in both his lungs, a condition also known as double pneumonia.

Pope Francis, who was the first Pope from a Latin American country, was widely loved and appreciated by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Over the years, even Hollywood celebrities have expressed their respect and admiration for the Pope.

Celebrities who have appreciated Pope Francis over the years

Cardinal Bergoglio became the Pope in 2013. The same year, Chris Rock had a unique message after a few months of Pope Francis’ leadership. Referring to the famous boxer, Rock wrote on X at the time,

“This new pope is like the Floyd mayweather of popes.”

Actress Jane Fonda also expressed support for the Pope’s humanitarian message. In a tweet, she once wrote,

“Gotta love new Pope. He cares about poor, hates dogma.”

When the Pope was slated to visit the U.S. in 2015, Oprah Winfrey had a special message for the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, recorded on a welcome video alongside other stars. According to E! News, Winfrey said,

"Your holiness, I wanted to take a moment to extend my warmest welcome to you. I hold your life and work in the highest esteem.”

At the time, Susan Sarandon also expressed her appreciation for the Pope in an interview. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the actress said,

“I love this Pope…He’s humble — he doesn’t live in the palatial whatever. I think he’s a Pope of the people.”

The same year, Angelina Jolie visited the Pope at the papal palace in Vatican City to screen her film Unbroken. Per E! News, Jolie met the Pope and kissed his ring before receiving a rosary from him. Jolie also said in a statement about the experience:

“To be invited to screen Unbroken at The Vatican is an honor and a tribute to Louie's legacy as a man of faith and someone who exemplified the power of forgiveness and the strength of the human spirit. These are universal themes at the heart of the human experience everywhere.”

Journalist Maria Shriver has been an outspoken supporter of Pope Francis. She had highlighted the Pope’s humanitarian work in a tweet once, writing,

“Today was the birthday of Pope Francis, a global voice for peace, compassion openness & acceptance.”

Stephen Colbert once sat down with Father Thomas Rosica to speak about faith, and according to The Daily Beast, the talk show host revealed what he thought about the Pope’s message. He said,

“When he said in his—I think it was, was it the first sermon that he gave? After being made pope in that papal audience room, where he said, ‘I want this to be a… church for the poor’… that made me so excited!”

Continuing, Colbert also shared,

“So, I really like this pope because… I believe the church has always had a message of love.”

Actor Russell Crowe once had a brush with the Pope when the team of the film, Noah, visited the Vatican, per E! News. At the time, Crowe tweeted,

“What a privilege , attended the Udienza with the holy father @Pontifex . St.Joesephs day & Fathers Day.”

In another tweet, Crowe shared that he had been blessed by Pope Francis, writing,

"Ciao Roma, my love for your eternal light just grows deeper. Thank you holy father @Pontifex for the blessing”

Last year, the Pope had invited comedians such as Jimmy Fallon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, and Conan O’Brien to the Vatican, as per CNN. Comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan, who attended the gathering, took to Instagram to write,

“The Pope told me I was his favorite comedian. Such an incredible experience. This followed the Pope addressing a room of 200 comedians from throughout the world. It felt like a meeting of everyone who couldn’t behave in church.”

Love for Pope Francis’ message of kindness and humanity undoubtedly reached everyone across the globe, and the news of the Catholic Church’s leader’s death has led millions of his supporters to mourn the popular religious leader’s death.