Pope Francis recalled Jimmy Carter's “firm commitment,” “motivated by a deep Christian faith, to the cause of reconciliation and peace between peoples, the defense of human rights, and the well-being of the poor and needy,” in a a telegram signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, issued the day after the death of the former head of state.
Carter died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024.
The Holy Father commends him “to the infinite mercy of Almighty God and prays for the consolation of those who mourn his loss.”
Jimmy Carter, who turned 100 on October 1, was president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. His term of office was marked by diplomatic successes, notably the Camp David agreement sealing the peace between Israel and Egypt, but also by a deep economic crisis and a feeling of weakening of the United States on the international scene, crystallized by the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and the long hostage-taking at the American embassy.
On October 6, 1979, Jimmy Carter was also the first American president to receive a pope at the White House. John Paul II told him that in greeting the president, he greeted the entire nation.
The Polish pope quoted the biblical passage from the Book of the Prophet Micah, read at Jimmy Carter's presidential inauguration nearly three years earlier: “Man, you have been made to know what is good, what the Lord requires of you: nothing but to respect what is right, to love what is faithful, and to apply yourself to walking with your God.”
After losing the 1980 presidential election to Republican candidate Ronald Reagan, the former Democratic president engaged in numerous mediations in the most complex countries, such as North Korea and Cuba. This commitment earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Along with his wife Rosalynn, who died in 2023 after 77 years of marriage, he was a very active Christian in their Baptist church in Plains, Georgia.
