Pope Francis was a significant yet often polarizing figure within the Catholic Church, serving from his election in 2013 until his passing in April 2025.
His pontificate was marked by efforts to renew and modernize the Church internally, particularly through a focus on social issues such as charity, compassion for the marginalized, and greater participation of the faithful in the Church’s decision-making processes.
One of the defining features of his leadership was his strong emphasis on social justice, addressing pressing global concerns like poverty, the refugee crisis, and climate change.
His 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’, which concentrated on environmental protection, garnered widespread acclaim for framing ecological care as a comprehensive issue intertwining the economy, society, and modern consumerist culture that discards what it no longer values.
Pope Francis became known for adopting a more open and dialogical approach toward other Christian Churches, world religions, and diverse realities both within and beyond the Catholic Church.
He consistently sought to bridge divisions by promoting a more pastoral and inclusive response to sensitive topics such as divorce and the rights of individuals of different sexual orientations.
This openness, however, drew strong criticism from more conservative factions within the Church, who believed the Pope was deviating from traditional Catholic moral teachings—despite the fact that Francis repeatedly reaffirmed the Church’s opposition to euthanasia and abortion, and upheld the doctrine of marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
His leadership style was characterized by a readiness for dialogue, immediacy, spontaneity, a spirit of non-conformity, and a deep concern for the everyday struggles of ordinary people.
He often advised married couples to “make peace” before going to sleep each night, warning against letting disagreements fester into a “cold war.”
Likewise, he urged young people never to forget their “grandparents,” frequently drawing on his own memories to emphasize the vital role of grandmothers in nurturing faith.
Notably, his pontificate introduced greater flexibility regarding the admission of divorced Catholics to Holy Communion—despite explicit prohibitions under Catholic Canon Law and the evident frustration of some canonists.
One of the gravest challenges he faced from the first days of his papacy was addressing the sexual abuse crisis, an issue that his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, had candidly admitted he lacked sufficient authority to resolve.
Pope Francis moved decisively toward an approach of apology and greater transparency regarding abuse cases, emphasizing the importance of listening to victims, tightening sentences for clergy involved in scandals, and establishing a special body within the Roman Curia.
Nevertheless, many critics argued that he did not allow the commission sufficient freedom to carry out its work effectively.
Despite these criticisms, the Pope’s personal sensitivity to the issue remained beyond doubt.
Arguably the most significant reform initiative of his pontificate was the so-called “synodal path” of the Catholic Church, launched in 2021 and culminating in 2024 with the convening of a “Synod on Synodality” at the Vatican.
This initiative included participation from parishes, dioceses, national and continental episcopal assemblies, the Roman Curia, men and women, clergy and laity, nuns, members of religious orders, and even non-Catholics.
One of the most positive assessments of this synodal journey is that synodality is now viewed as an open and ongoing process of listening to all the baptized people of God—including those outside the Catholic Church—with an active role in shaping and influencing decisions at both local and global levels.
Pope Francis’ successor will face the crucial decision of whether to continue this expanded model of synodality, especially since an “Ecclesiastical Assembly” has already been scheduled for 2028.
In the realm of political and diplomatic activity, Francis distinguished himself not only through his “open-door” policy toward all refugees—summarized by his motto: “welcome – accompany – integrate”—a policy that again met with resistance across parts of global Catholicism, but also through his persistent efforts to promote peace and reconciliation.
The Pope repeatedly described our era as a “time of transition” and spoke of a “piecemeal world war,” highlighting the fragmented yet global nature of current conflicts.
Accordingly, he offered the diplomatic and institutional resources of the Holy See to peace efforts, notably in conflicts such as Russia/Ukraine and Myanmar.
Among the noteworthy achievements was the 2019 agreement between the Holy See and China concerning the appointment of Catholic bishops—a significant step toward unifying the “underground” Church (recognized by the Vatican) and the “official” Church (recognized by the Chinese government but not previously by the Vatican).
This agreement was renewed for another four years in 2024 under the leadership of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican.
More complex—and arguably less successful—was the Pope’s approach to the ongoing war in Ukraine, as he maintained channels of communication first with the Moscow Patriarchate and later with the Russian presidency.
It is important to highlight Pope Francis’ attempt to foster an inter-Christian network, based on his vision that the Mediterranean region could serve as a meeting point for confrontation, reconciliation, and dialogue.
Finally, regarding inter-Christian relations, it is important to highlight the close relationship that Pope Francis cultivated with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew from the very beginning of his pontificate.
The Pope often referred to the Ecumenical Patriarch in both his ecological writings and his interviews.
Notably, Pope Francis regarded the late Metropolitan of Pergamon, Ioannis Zizioulas, as the most important living theologian, inviting him in 2015 to participate officially in the presentation of the ecological encyclical Laudato Si’.
Relations with the Orthodox Church were primarily developed on the foundation of a “theology of love” and a common witness to shared global challenges, culminating in the—ultimately unrealized—vision of a common celebration of Easter.
The challenges facing Francis’ successor are many, particularly given the vibrant and deeply personal style of papal leadership that Francis introduced: a new, dynamic approach which, though it calls for further clarification in certain areas, was fundamentally rooted in the evangelical witness—the prophetic proclamation of love, forgiveness, and compassion modeled after Christ.
As the Pope once jokingly remarked, “It is not my fault—Christ spoiled me, since He forgave them all.”
*Dr. Dimitrios Keramidas is a Dr of Theology and a Lecturer at St. Thomas Aquinas University (Angelicum) in Rome
