Swiss president pays tribute to Pope Francis

Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter paid tribute to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday. He was a great spiritual leader, she wrote on X. Keller-Sutter wrote on the social media platform X shortly after the Pope's death became known on Monday that his human warmth had not only brought comfort to Catholics. St. Gallen Bishop Markus Büchel also expressed his "deep sadness" over the Pope's death on Easter Monday. He wrote in a statement that he was saddened by the loss of a truly great man, for whom the smallest were most important. He acknowledged the late Pope's dedication to the poor, and his visit to the refugees in Lampedusa in 2013, thus reaching out to the margins of society to make a statement. To mourn the death of Pope Francis, the Diocese of Lugano in canton Ticino, will ring all its bells at 1 p.m. on Monday afternoon. A prayer vigil and a mass is also scheduled in the evening. Alain de Raemy, the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Lugano, also called for prayer.