Jorge Mario Bergoglio died aged 88 on April 21, the day after Easter. Cardinal Farrell announced: “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father”. With the passing of Pope Francis, a pontificate that significantly altered the course of the Catholic Church comes to an end. The first Jesuit pope and the first to choose the name of the saint from Assisi led the Church through a period of transformation and debate through his will to bring the Christian church to a more human dimension, despite not being exempt from the various controversies that his positions rose. His was a face that easily transmitted kindness. But, like every face, it was marked by the shadows casted by its shapes. Francis leaves behind a legacy of humility, closeness to the faithful, and commitment to social justice, but also a chiaroscuro of innovation and traditionalism.
A Singular Pontificate
Elected on March 13, 2013, as the first Pope from the Americas, Pope Francis adopted a more earthy style in carrying out his divine role, starting from his first public greeting—a simple “Brothers and sisters, good evening!”. He chose to live in Casa Santa Marta instead of the papal apartments and used a more colloquial language in his communications, also renouncing to the usual papal pomp. His first meeting with the faithful in St. Peter’s Square was marked by his request for a prayer before giving his blessing, showing a pope apparently more interested in dialogue than power.
His election was also unique because another pope was still alive—Benedict XVI, born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, who had abdicated in February 2013. This created one of the rare instances in history where two popes coexisted, meeting and engaging in dialogue, and the first one documented by mediatic material. Their apparently friendly relationship arose questions in the mediatic debate, especially after Francis’ absence at Ratzinger’s wake, after having recited the homily at his funeral.
Focus on Social Issues
During his pontificate, he often focused on social issues and poverty, promoting an “outward-reaching Church.” He visited marginalized areas, refugee camps, and favelas, advocating for migration policies based on acceptance—a stance that created tensions with several national governments.
“God is with migrants; rejecting them is a grave sin,” Francis declared during a general audience at St. Peter’s in 2024, reaffirming his political stance. This was conceptually tied to his first symbolic papal trip to Lampedusa, the island representing the migration crisis, where he introduced the concept of the “globalization of indifference.“
One of the moments of his papacy that will be remembered the most is when he prayed in solitude in a rain-swept, deserted St. Peter’s Square, while the world remained locked indoors during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. “O Lord, do not leave us at the mercy of the storm,” recited Francis on that occasion.
Environmental and Diplomatic Initiatives
In 2015, he published the encyclical Laudato si’, a document linking environmental issues to social concerns. With this encyclical, the Pope placed ecology and sustainability at the center of the Catholic Church’s mission. As he stated in it, “The urgent challenge of protecting our common home includes the concern to unite the entire human family in the search for sustainable and integral development.“
On the global diplomatic stage, Pope Francis participated in numerous initiatives, including the normalization process of relations between the United States and Cuba, and he attempted to mediate in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. His firm stance against war was encapsulated in his statement, “Those who wage war forget humanity.“
A historic religious moment came when Francis met with Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Cuba—the first such meeting between the two churches since the 1054 Great Schism, marking a milestone in ecumenical dialogue.
A Church for the LGBTQ+ Community and love policies
A fundamental aspect of his pontificate was his openness to the LGBTQ+ community, summarized in his famous phrase, “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?“ This openness was not without controversy that rose debate, as seen in the occasion of his refusal to accept Laurent Stefanini, a homosexual French diplomat, in the Vatican’s Holy See.
Another moment that cast doubt on the depth of the Pope’s progressive stance was his reported statement: “There is too much homosexuality in the Vatican,” which starkly contrasted with his outreach to the LGBTQ+ community. His approach remained ambiguous, as he allowed blessings for homosexual people but refused to sanction same-sex marriages within the Church.
What has also been a great revolution by Pope Francis has been the admission of the communion sacrament to divorced couples, historically disowned by the Church. “If there is no love anymore it does not deny the sacrament,” stated Francis in 2019 admitting the possibility of divorce into the Christian faith, while officializing the measure with the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia.
A ‘Social’ Pope
The first Pope on TikTok, and also the first to give live television interviews, Francis distinguished from his predecessors as a Pontiff more open to media debate. He appeared multiple times on Che Tempo Che Fa and was the first Pope to participate in the Sanremo Music Festival, by sending a video message, in February 2025.
Controversies and Internal Opposition
His pontificate was marked by significant divisions within the Church. His positions on topics such as LGBTQ+ rights, the debate on priestly celibacy, and the role of women in the Church faced strong resistance from conservative factions.
His policies on combating clergy sexual abuse also generated both praise and criticism. The case of Chilean Bishop Juan Barros, accused of covering up pedophilia cases, highlighted these contradictions. Initially defending Barros, the Pope later reversed his stance after thorough investigations.
A Period of Transition
Bergoglio’s death comes at a critical time for the Church, in the middle of the Jubilee Year. With his passing, the Holy Year for the Catholic Church is left without the Holy Father as a guiding figure for pilgrims.
Pope Francis led the Catholic Church through a period of substantial change, in his attempt to realign a millennial institution to common people, also by altering many aspects of Vatican communication and governance toward a policy of increased transparency. His approach sparked both support and criticism. Splitting Christendomn into its more progressive and conservative sides, he left the Church in transition on numerous doctrinal and pastoral issues. For this reason, his pontificate will be remembered in history for its many lights but also for its various shadows. A shepherd close to his flock, as Francis wanted to be, he left a more human Church, but that may still have left behind some of its sheep.
