Senator Markey and Pope Francis meeting in 2014 to discuss climate change

Boston (April 25, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) announced today that he will attend the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis in Rome on Saturday as part of a bipartisan delegation of Catholic U.S. Senators.

“It is a great honor to join mourners from around the world in St. Peter’s Square to pay our respects to the People’s Pope, His Holiness Pope Francis. In his words and in his deeds, Pope Francis taught us to fight for a better world – one that meets the needs of the most vulnerable among us, and one that grants dignity to all,” said Senator Markey. “Pope Francis held a unique power in convening people, instilling in them a moral obligation to act boldly on the world’s most pressing issues, and guiding them through dark and difficult times with his wisdom, humility, and compassion. When we met, we discussed the necessity to act on climate change and the challenges it poses to the planet we call our home. I carry his mandate forward with me to be in service of life and to embrace the moments and opportunities to be part of a global movement that protects our people and our planet."

In May 2014, Senator Markey traveled to the Vatican and met with Pope Francis and high-level Vatican leaders and Cardinals to discuss the importance to act on climate change and to encourage the Catholic Church to continue to use their moral authority to elevate the issue. Senator Markey lauded Pope Francis’s 2015 Joint Meeting of Congress Address as a “Sermon on the Hill.”

The bipartisan delegation includes Senators Markey, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).

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