On 23 April, Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board, and members of the Consultative Council of Religious Confessions operating in Azerbaijan, visited the 'St Mary's' Church in Baku to offer condolences to the members of the Catholic community on the passing of Pope Francis.

Meeting with Vladimir Fekete, the Ordinary of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Roman Catholic Church in Azerbaijan, the heads of the religious confessions stated that they consider the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, the Head of the Holy See and a prominent religious figure of our time, to be a great loss for the entire world community.

During the visit, prayers were offered for the soul of the Head of the Holy See. The members of the Consultative Council of Religious Confessions, writing their remarks in the book of condolences opened at the church, highly praised Pope Francis' activities aimed at promoting peace, tranquility, and understanding among religions across the world. The condolences were signed by Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board; Milikh Yevdayev, Chairman of the Mountain Jews community in Azerbaijan; Bishop Alexiy, Head of the Baku and Azerbaijan Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church; and Robert Mobili, Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian community.

Speaking on behalf of the members of the Consultative Council of Religious Confessions in Azerbaijan, Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade recalled the late Pope's 2016 visit to the country, his address to the faithful at the 'Heydar' Mosque, and the presentation of a Holy Quran to him. The Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board noted that during his leadership of the Holy See, Pope Francis met repeatedly with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, and the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, and highly valued the religious harmony in Azerbaijan. He demonstrated particular sensitivity to the projects implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in the Vatican City State, contributing to the development of this humanitarian cooperation.

His Holiness the Sheikhulislam mentioned his own visit to the Vatican in 2022 at the invitation of Pope Francis, and also noted subsequent meetings held in Bahrain and Kazakhstan.

His Holiness the Sheikhulislam expressed hope that the newly elected leader of the world's Catholics will continue the late Francis's favourable relations with Azerbaijan.

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