Hezbollah Issues Statement Mourning Pope Francis

Hezbollah and Hamas are among the many groups mourning Pope Francis, who died Monday.

Hezbollah, Iran, and Hamas shared positive remarks about the pontiff, who died at the age of 88.

"Hezbollah extends its sincere condolences to the Vatican, the followers of the Catholic Church worldwide, and all Christians, especially our Christian brothers in Lebanon and the Papal Embassy there, on the passing of the Pope of the Catholic Church, Jorge Mario Bergoglio [Pope Francis]," Hezbollah said in a statement. "He believed in peace, called for the renunciation of war, and worked with deep faith to cultivate the values of love and tolerance, building bridges between religions, civilizations, and peoples in order to establish dialogue, understanding, and justice."

The Lebanese group praised the pope's stance on opposing what he called the Israeli occupation of Gaza.

"His support for the Palestinian cause, in addition to his constant support for Lebanon at every stage and his condemnation of the Israeli aggression against it, embody the sincerity of his call and his commitment to human values that reject injustice everywhere," Hezbollah said.

Hezbollah called on Lebanese people to draw from Francis' "wisdom and strength to confront challenges and counter attempts to sow discord and division in our beloved country, Lebanon."

Francis addressed the Mideast conflict a day before his death in his Easter Sunday address.

"I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible," Francis said. "I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people. The growing climate of antisemitism throughout the world is worrisome.

"Yet at the same time, I think of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation. I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages, and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace."