The news of Pope Francis' physical disappearance has already spread around the world, and reactions are beginning to pour in from Mozambique.

The President of the Republic, Daniel Chapo, expressed his regret and condolences to the Catholic community in the country and around the world.

On his Facebook page he wrote: "At this time of sorrow, we join in prayer with the Christian community in expressing our sincere condolences. May faith and hope comfort the bereaved hearts, and may the legacy of Pope Francis continue to illuminate our path. May God's peace and mercy be with us all".

Prime Minister Benvinda Levi said that the Pope's death is a shock for the whole world and for those who profess the Christian faith. She noted that Francis had greatly influenced the Catholic Church's way of being, and had shown himself to be "a great friend of Mozambique".

"As Mozambicans, we are certainly sad. We saw how involved he was with Mozambique when he was here, not just when he was at a distance, he did everything to support Mozambicans in times of crisis," he said.

Mozambique's ambassador to the Holy See, Raúl Domingos, said that he was shocked by the information, since yesterday "we were with the Pope at Easter Sunday Mass. What we have just heard was unforeseeable. We are dismayed.

The Catholic Church in Mozambique, through the Archbishop of Maputo, Dom João Carlos Nunes, considered Francisco's death an immeasurable loss for his strength and dedication to the church, and for the legacy he leaves behind.

"We have a very close bond with the Holy Father. During the difficult times we have faced, and the fact that we don't understand each other as Mozambicans, he has often intervened, and also in the face of natural storms he has always intervened with very concrete help," he said.

 According to Nunes, Pope Francis "knew how to love the church, he was a man of the church and of the poor, those who have no voice and are pushed aside".