Pope Francis dead at 88: Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Longoria and more stars react

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Hollywood is mourning Pope Francis.

Celebrities shared tributes to the head of the Catholic Church on social media Monday after he died at age 88 following a prolonged battle with double pneumonia.

Whoopi Goldberg, who met Pope Francis in 2023 and 2024, shared a photo of the pair in her Instagram tribute.

Pope Francis and Whoopi Goldberg. ABC

“He was the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and none believer,” the EGOT winner wrote. “He felt more like Pope John the 23rd who made belief real. Sail on Pope Frances with your love of humanity & Laughter.”

Pope Francis at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican in May 2013. VATICAN MEDIA/AFP via Getty Images

Antonio Banderas similarly posted a picture with the late pontiff from their 2016 meeting and wrote, “Pope Francisco has died — a man who, at the head of the Catholic Church, showed kindness, love, and mercy to the neediest people.”

Pope Francis and Antonio Banderas in 2016. Sipa USA via AP

Russell Crowe, who met the pope in 2014, shared a photo of the Rome skyline on X (formerly Twitter) and said, “A beautiful day in Rome, but, a sad day for the faithful. RIP Francis.”

Zoe Saldana and Eva Longoria both reshared a post about the pope’s death on their Instagram Stories, with the latter actress adding a praying hands emoji.

Donatella Versace also honored Pope Francis on her IG Stories and wrote, “Rest In Peace His Holiness Pope Francis.”

“Bridgerton” star Adjoa Andoh posted on Instagram, “RIP Pope Francis ♥️ Within the constraints of his tradition, manifestly compassionate and standing with the marginalised. What a loss.🙏🏾.”

Eva Longoria at the premiere of Disney+’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip” in March 2025. FilmMagic
Adjoa Andoh at the 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Feb. 2025. FilmMagic

World leaders including Britain’s King Charles III, Argentina’s Javier Milei, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni also honored Pope Francis after his death.

US Vice President JD Vance, who met the pope on Easter Sunday before traveling on to India, wrote on X, “My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.”

King Charles III at the Royal Maundy Service at Durham Cathedral on April 17. Samir Hussein/WireImage
JD Vance meets Pope Francis at Vatican City on Easter Sunday. Getty Images
JD Vance at the White House on Feb. 28, 2025. Getty Images

“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill,” Vance added.

Pope Francis’ death Monday was confirmed by Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo.

Pope Francis in Greece in 2016. Handout
Pope Francis leads mass in Rome on May 26, 2024. Getty Images

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Farrell said in the announcement.

“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalized,” the statement continued.

The selection process of a new pope is expected to take over the next few weeks.

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