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A-list stars including Russell Crowe, Whoopi Goldberg and Leonardo DiCaprio have taken to social media to pay their respects to Pope Francis.

DiCaprio described the religious leader as transformational for both the Catholic Church and for environmental reform and activism.

“During the filming of my documentary Before the Flood in 2016, I had the honour of sitting down with Pope Francis for a conversation on the urgent need to address climate change. That experience was enlightening, deeply moving and thought provoking,” the actor wrote in a lengthy post on Instagram.

“Pope Francis was one of the most extraordinary spiritual leaders of our time. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of environmentalists around the world. May he rest in peace.”

Goldberg – who visited the Pope twice – said “he was the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and none [sic] believer”.

“He felt more like Pope John the 23rd who made belief real. Sail on Pope Frances [sic] with your love of humanity & laughter,” The View co-host wrote on Instagram.

Crowe, who met the Pope in 2014, honoured the religious leader with a photo of the Rome skyline on X.

“A beautiful day in Rome, but a sad day for the faithful,” he wrote. “RIP Francis.”