By CNA Staff
Vatican City, Apr 21, 2025 / 09:00 am
Pope Francis’ death today marks the end of a historic 12-year papacy. The first Latin American and the first member of the Society of Jesus to be elected pope, his legacy will be shaped by his efforts to bring the Gospel to the peripheries of the world and the margins of society while shaking up — sometimes vigorously and uncomfortably — what he saw as an unacceptably self-referential, unwelcoming, and rigid Catholic status quo.
After Pope Benedict XVI’s unexpected resignation in February 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was given a mandate for reform on March 13, 2013, by the cardinals in the conclave convened.
Ahead of the 2013 conclave, the 76-year-old Jesuit from Argentina was not initially considered a front-runner. However, after he presented his vision for Church reform in a speech to the cardinals leading up to the conclave, a majority of electors were persuaded that he would offer a strong response to the ongoing scandals and challenges roiling the Church and provide solutions to collapsing Church attendance and vocations.
Taking the name of the 13th-century Italian saint and founder of the Franciscan order, Francis of Assisi, who adopted a life of radical poverty as he served those in need and preached the Gospel in the streets, the new pope aimed at fostering a Church reaching out to the poor, marginalized, and forgotten and capable of dealing with the complexities of the faith and human relationships in the world today.
“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security,” Francis stated in Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), his 2013 apostolic exhortation that called for pastoral engagement in slums and boardrooms.
Evangelii Gaudium was considered a manifesto for the new pontificate.
When Pope Francis was elected, many were surprised by the direction he took. However, the true blueprint for his pontificate had already been established long before his election. It was rooted in the 2007 concluding document of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American episcopate held in Aparecida, Brazil. Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, played a key role in drafting this document.
This document, known as the “Aparecida Document,” laid the groundwork for many of the strategies for evangelization that Pope Francis would later emphasize in his writings such as Evangelii Gaudium and Querida Amazonia. It called for a “great continental mission,” urging the Church to be outward-looking, humble, and focused on serving the poor and marginalized.
After becoming pope, Francis made this mission a priority for the universal Church. He encouraged young Catholics to shake things up and be unafraid of creating a “mess” in order to evangelize effectively. He emphasized the importance of decentralization, listening, and accompaniment in the Church’s mission.
Pope Francis envisioned a Church that is welcoming, merciful, and inclusive of all. He often repeated the phrase “Todos, todos, todos” (“All, all, all”) to emphasize the importance of showing mercy and compassion to everyone.
The Legacy of Pope Francis: A Journey of Mercy and Controversy
In December 2015, Pope Francis initiated an extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, calling for the Church to embrace and share God’s mercy with all people. Missionaries of Mercy were appointed in 2016 to spread this message through the sacrament of confession.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis championed synodality, culminating in the ongoing Synod on Synodality (2021–2024) aimed at fostering unity and active participation among all members of the Church.
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However, his tenure was marked by internal conflicts within the Church, notably during the Synods on Marriage and the Family, where debates on Communion for the divorced and civilly married created controversy. The apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia further fueled tensions due to its ambiguous stance on doctrinal matters.
Subsequent years saw heightened divisions, with some Church leaders advocating for changes in teachings on celibacy, homosexuality, and women’s ordination. Pope Francis faced backlash over decrees restricting the Latin Mass and allowing blessings for same-sex couples.
Despite these challenges, Pope Francis stood firm on core Church teachings, reaffirming opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and gender ideology in the document Dignitas Infinita. He also reiterated the Church’s stance against women’s ordination in a televised interview.
While his reforms fell short of expectations for some, Pope Francis left a lasting impact on the Church, blending mercy and tradition in a complex and evolving landscape.
A Child of Immigrants
Born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was raised in a family of Italian immigrants, shaping his worldview and compassionate approach to leadership.
The Journey of Pope Francis: From Humble Beginnings to Spiritual Leadership
Meet the man who would go on to become Pope Francis. His father, Mario, worked as an accountant for the country’s railways, while his mother, Regina Sivori, dedicated her time to being a housewife.
Young Jorge, raised in the lively lower-middle-class Flores sector in Buenos Aires, spent significant time with his grandmother, Rosa, who introduced him to the faith that would shape his life.
But it was on Sept. 21, 1953, that a pivotal moment occurred in Jorge’s life. In the confessional, he experienced a profound encounter with God’s mercy that changed him forever. “After making my confession, I felt something had shifted. I heard a call to become a priest,” he shared in a 2010 reflection.
After studying to become a chemical technician, he entered a diocesan seminary and later joined the Jesuit novitiate in 1958. He was ordained a priest in 1969 and professed his final vows with the Jesuits in 1973.
Quickly rising through the ranks, he became the provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina at just 36 years old. This period coincided with the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council and the harrowing Dirty War in Argentina, where political turmoil and violence shook the nation.
These experiences shaped his strong aversion to political ideologies and his rejection of radical liberation theology. Instead, he focused on pastoral work rooted in the Argentinean context, distinct from Marxist influences.
Leading Amidst Controversy
As Father Bergoglio navigated the turbulent political climate, he faced criticism for his reform efforts within the Jesuit province. Acknowledging his autocratic leadership style at the time, he reflected, “I had to make tough decisions and often acted alone,” he admitted in a 2013 interview.
The Inspirational Journey of Pope Francis
My authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultra-conservative.
After his time as provincial, Pope Francis served as rector of the Jesuit seminary in San Miguel from 1980–1986. His tenure as rector was marked by controversy, with critics accusing him of trying to reshape the institution along pre-Vatican II lines that conflicted with contemporary Jesuit practices elsewhere in Latin America.
“He was not, as some have accused him of being, a conservative who wanted to take them to the preconciliar era but a renewalist, like Benedict XVI, who resisted attempts to conform the Church to the world in the name of modernity,” papal biographer Austen Ivereigh told the National Catholic Register.
Despite facing challenges and internal exile from his religious order, Pope Francis continued his journey. He traveled to Germany in 1986 to finish his doctorate and later returned to serve as the spiritual director and confessor of the Residencia Jesuita community in Córdoba, Argentina.
Although faced with criticism and disciplinary actions, Pope Francis’s simplicity, humility, and dedication to serving the poor inspired many. His no-frills austerity and hands-on service endeared him to a new generation of Jesuits.
“When we would get up at 6:30 or 7 to go to Mass, Bergoglio would have already prayed and already washed the sheets and towels for 150 Jesuits in the laundry room,” recalled Jesuit Cardinal Ángel Rossi.
Episcopal Service
In 1992, Pope John Paul II appointed Father Bergoglio as auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires at the request of Cardinal Antonio Quarracino. Subsequently, in 1997, he became the coadjutor archbishop of Buenos Aires and eventually the metropolitan archbishop after Quarracino’s passing in 1998.
The Rise of Pope Francis: From Archbishop to Pontiff
In 2001, Pope John Paul II elevated him to the prestigious College of Cardinals, a significant milestone in the life of the man who would later become Pope Francis. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he made a name for himself by rejecting the luxuries of his position, opting to travel by subway, live in a modest apartment, and dedicate his time to serving the poor and marginalized in the city’s slums.
Known for his political acumen, he fearlessly challenged Argentina’s political leaders and embraced elements of Peronism, a nationalist ideology that celebrated the country’s Catholic heritage and focused on social welfare while steering clear of both Marxism and capitalism. In a 2006 homily, Cardinal Bergoglio emphasized the importance of leadership based on trust rather than manipulation or arrogance, a stance that put him at odds with the Kirchner government’s left-wing approach to Peronism.
His influence extended beyond Argentina when he played a pivotal role in the 2007 Fifth General Conference of the Latin American episcopate in Aparecida, Brazil. The conference highlighted the Church’s mission to be evangelical and mission-driven, a theme that would later shape Pope Francis’ papacy.
A Pontificate of Embracing the Margins
After narrowly missing out on the papacy in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Bergoglio was chosen by the College of Cardinals to succeed him. As the first non-European pope in over a millennium, Pope Francis immediately signaled a different approach to his papacy.
He eschewed traditional papal attire and opted for simpler living arrangements at the Vatican guesthouse. His focus on evangelizing and reaching out to those on the margins of society became central themes of his pontificate. He often spoke of the Church as a field hospital and emphasized the need for Church leaders to empathize with and serve the most vulnerable. These principles were exemplified by his actions, such as washing the feet of prisoners and embracing individuals from different faiths.
