Tuesday, Apr 22 2025 | Time 11:29 Hrs(IST)
WorldPosted at: Apr 21 2025 7:19PM


Pope Francis leaves behind unique legacy in Catholic world

Rome, Apr 21 (UNI) Pope Francis, who passed away aged 88 today, was one of the Vatican’s most unique figures, with his papacy being marked by several unusual aspects.
He was the first Jesuit-Latin American, and non-European to hold the title in centuries, as well as being the first one to hold the title after the resignation, instead of his successor’s death in over 600 years - an unusual practice in the highly tradition-driven Vatican.
Though he did not radically alter Catholic practices, Francis surprised the global community with his comments on topics such as homosexuality, abortion, and the death penalty, being far less hardline than his predecessor Benedict XVI.
For the Catholic world, his papacy was one of the most interesting and unique ones, as many of his actions and remarks were removed from the strict traditions of the Vatican.
This includes him choosing Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome as his place of burial, making him the first one to not be interred underneath the St. Peter's Basilica, opting for a simplistic burial.
Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, also took a more proactive stance on world affairs.
This includes his participating in a TED talk in 2017, his Focus on Mercy and Inclusion initiative which emphasised on forgiveness, reflecting his belief that the Church should be more welcoming and compassionate to all.
Because of him being very much at the centre of both a “progressive” and “conservative” approach, his papacy was looked on with a lot interest, earning criticism and praise from both sides. Due to his unorthodox approach, Francis was deemed too progressive and simultaneously far too conservative.
A defining feature of his papacy was marked by the issue of sex scandals by clerics that stretched to the very highest levels of the Catholic Church.
Deciding to change the narrative, in his 2019 meeting with clerics, new Vatican laws regarding sex abuse were introduced, and a mandate that every diocese set up a clear reporting process. Francis also abolished the top-level confidentiality of the "pontifical secret", which had shrouded the sex abuse scandal for a very long time.
Francis took a more lenient position on LGBTQ+ issues. He will be remembered for taking a gentler view of homosexuality. He maintained that being gay is “not a crime” and approved blessings for same-sex couples, but he also reiterated that homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of the Church.
Francis did not endorse marriage for priests, despite bishops’ requests for this. He also did not allow the possibility of women being ordained as deacons to address a shortage of ordained ministers. His discerning spirit saw there was too much division and no clear consensus for change.
He said women who had undergone an abortion should be “forgiven”. However, he described a Belgian abortion law as “homicidal” and initiated beatification for Belgian King Baudouin, who had abdicated his throne for a day rather than sign a law that decriminalised abortion in 1990.
Francis was also openly critical of Germany’s controversial “Synodal Way” – a series of conferences with bishops and lay people – that advocated for positions contrary to Church teachings. Francis expressed concern on multiple occasions that this project was a threat to the unity of the Church.
At the same time, Francis was no stranger to controversy from the conservative side of the Church, receiving a lot of theological doubts from his fellow clerics.
He also adhered the lines of his predecessors, and acknowledged the role of climate change, and its destructive effects on the planet. He also emphasised on using a more scientific-empirical-evidence-based approach to address the situation, mixing theology with science, advocating for ‘ecological conversion’ so that humans could see nature as God-given gift.
In conclusion, Francis’ papacy left behind a highly polarised Vatican, starkly divided on various issues, leaving behind both admirers and critics, and generated a lot of new questions for the Catholic world.

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