Pope Francis was an amazing human being: CA Yunus

On Saturday, senior Catholic Church leaders Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi and Cardinal Jacob Koovakad met with Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus after attending the Funeral Mass of Pope Francis. During their meeting, Prof. Yunus praised the late Pope as "an amazing human being."

The cardinals reflected on Pope Francis’s lifelong mission to advocate for the poor and marginalized, his efforts to eradicate poverty, and his vision of a world free from war and nuclear weapons. They expressed deep admiration for Prof. Yunus’s work and described him as a close friend of the late Pope, thanking him for his lifelong dedication to fighting poverty.

Prof. Yunus fondly recalled his long association with Pope Francis, emphasizing that the Pope had a remarkable ability to embrace people from all backgrounds and religions.

“He was an amazing human being,” Prof. Yunus said, according to Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.

Prof. Yunus recalled meeting Pope Francis several times during his papacy and shared the story of how one of his letters to the Holy See — urging the reform of the Vatican Bank — was published on the front page of the Vatican’s official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

“I wrote about how the Vatican should reform its bank to make it more inclusive of the poor. I was critical of its performance and controversies, yet the Pope published the entire letter,” he said.

Prof. Yunus also shared how Pope Francis appointed him to chair several committees focused on reforming Vatican banking practices and expanding the Church’s pro-poor initiatives.

In November, the Vatican launched the Pope Francis–Yunus Three Zero Clubs in Rome, aimed at promoting Prof. Yunus’s vision of a world with zero unemployment, zero wealth concentration, and zero net carbon emissions.

"I am a Muslim, yet Pope Francis never objected to his name being associated with someone from a different faith," Prof. Yunus remarked.

He also reflected on the honor of receiving the Torch of St. Francis of Assisi from the Catholic Church for embodying the spirit of the 13th-century Italian mystic and saint.

"He never treated me as an outsider," Prof. Yunus said, recalling his fond memories with the late Pope.

Cardinal Tomasi and Cardinal Koovakad informed Prof. Yunus that the College of Cardinals, of which they are prominent members, will meet next week to elect the next Pope. Both cardinals are seen as potential candidates for the Church’s highest leadership position.

Earlier in the day, Cardinal Koovakad, the Vatican Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, met with Prof. Yunus at his hotel in Rome. Cardinal Koovakad, who is from Kerala, India, announced that the Catholic Church in Bangladesh would host an interfaith dialogue in September, bringing together leaders from various religions.

Prof. Yunus stressed the importance of continued dialogue among people of different faiths in Bangladesh, highlighting the country’s commitment to religious harmony. He also commended the Interim Government’s efforts to safeguard the rights of all citizens, irrespective of ethnicity, creed, color, or gender.

The meetings were attended by Lamiya Morshed, SDG Affairs Principal Coordinator; Tareq Ariful Islam, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the Vatican; and Rokebul Haque, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Italy.