HONORING THE MEMORY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

Presidential Actions

Proclamations

April 21, 2025

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

As a mark of respect for the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.



DONALD J. TRUMP

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Palestinian Flag Hoisted Near U.S. Congress; American Flag Pulled, Rippe...

Alabama Official Refuses to Lower Flags to Half-Staff After Orlando Massacre

JUN 17 2016, 8:08 PM ET



by ELISHA FIELDSTADT


An Alabama county official refused to lower flags to half-staff this week in honor of the victims of the mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando, saying that doing so would signal a lack of resolve in the face of terrorism.

Baldwin County Commissioner Tucker Dorsey said he wouldn't lower flags — despite directives from President Barack Obama and Alabama Gov. Robert J. Bentley — because the shooting that left 49 dead and more than 50 injured was not a "valid circumstance" for flying the flag at half-staff.

The U.S. Flag Code says that flags must be flown at half-staff on Memorial Day and sets guidelines for how many days it should be lowered after the death of a government official.

"First and foremost, my soul aches for the families of the innocents killed, and my family prays for them and the world. ... I realize that the President and Governor may make the order, but I believe and interpret their order inconsistent with the adopted flag code," Dorsey wrote in a statement.

Dorsey, a Republican, said he also refused to lower the flags after the attacks in Paris and in San Bernardino.

"When the flag is at half-staff, our country's head is figuratively held low, and quite frankly, I am not willing to hang my head down because of a terrorist attack against our people and our allies," Dorsey wrote. "We need more than a gesture as a response. I want us, as Americans, to stand tall, courageously, and fight back against the forces of evil, and let's fight like we intend to win."

Obama on Sunday ordered that American flags across the U.S. be flown at half-staff following the shooting at Pulse nightclub, an order that expired at sunset Thursday. The attack was the deadliest mass shooting in the country's modern history.


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Obama has ordered flags at half-staff more than any president in history

 Gregory Korte, USA TODAY , WTSP

17 hours ago

Motionshooter / Thinkstock


Flag flying at half-mast


With his tenure in office marked by terror attacks and mass shootings, President Obama has reached a sad but remarkable milestone in his presidency: He has ordered the lowering of the nation's flags to half-staff more often than any president in history.


On Sunday, Obama extended that unenviable streak even further, ordering all flags at federal buildings and ships at sea to be flown at half-staff to honor the 49 victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.


Those flags will remain at half-staff until sunset Thursday, meaning that the nation will spend most of National Flag Week — proclaimed by Obama in a separate order last Friday— with the stars and stripes in a mournful pose.


Since 2009, Obama has issued 66 proclamations to fly the flag at half-staff, exceeding President George W. Bush's 58 and Bill Clinton's 50, according to a USA TODAY analysis of presidential proclamations.


Annual observances such as Memorial Day and Pearl Harbor day have contributed to that total, as have the deaths of notable public figures like Sen. Robert Byrd, Sen. Ted Kennedy, former first lady Nancy Reagan and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.


But it's a spate of national tragedies — from the Fort Hood shooting that claimed 13 lives in 2009 to the most recent carnage in Orlando — that have distinguished the Obama presidency. Fourteen proclamations honoring the victims of those tragedies have accounted for 79 days with the flag over the White House at half-staff, more than half of the 158-day total under Obama.


In all, Obama has spent almost 6% of his presidency in a period of national mourning.

Flags ordered to half-staff as mark of respect for Orlando shooting victims

POSTED 1:09 PM, JUNE 12, 2016,

BY FOX 13 NEWS, UPDATED AT 02:10PM, JUNE 12, 2016





FILE: An American Flag flies at half-staff at the Utah State Capitol in 2013.

SALT LAKE CITY — President Barack Obama has ordered the lowering of the flag of the United States of America to half-staff as a mark of respect for the victims in a nightclub shooting in Orlando, Sunday.

The flags are to be lowered June 12 and expected to stay at half-staff until sunset, on June 16. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issued a similar statement for the flag of the state of Utah and the American Flag in Utah for the same timeline.

The mass shooting at the gay nightclub left 50 dead and at least 53 injured, according to Orlando police. The shooting is considered the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

Read the President’s full proclamation below:

As a mark of respect for the victims of the act of hatred and terror perpetrated on Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Florida, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, June 16, 2016. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

Gov. Herbert’s statement read:

“Our hearts are broken for those who have lost loved ones, family and friends in this despicable and cowardly attack. As Utahns, we must unite together with those from around the world in love and prayer for our brothers and sisters who are the victims of this terrible tragedy. While there remains many unanswered questions at this time, such violence must be condemned by all of us. The Utah Department of Public Safety continues to be in communication with local and national authorities as more information is obtained.”


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