Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Jesuit and Latin American pontiff and 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday, leaving behind a multi-hued legacy, and will be remembered for ushering in a progressive era for the Vatican.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to two Italian immigrants in 1936, he worked as a bouncer, a janitor, and a chemical technician in the food-processing industry before entering the seminary.

He selected the name Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi, who he described as “a man of poverty and of peace” and chose to live in a simple downtown apartment instead of the archbishop’s residence, and travelled by foot or public transport rather than chauffeured limousine. He also used a more colloquial language in communication, renouncing the usual papal pomp. 

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However, his pontificate was marked by significant divisions within the Church. His positions on topics such as LGBTQ+ rights, priestly celibacy, and the role of women in the Church faced resistance from conservative factions.

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LGBTQ+ community policies


A hallmark of Pope Francis’ pontificate was his openness to the LGBTQ+ community, as summarised in his famous quote, “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” 

But his openness was not so evident always and his refusal to accept Laurent Stefanini, a homosexual French diplomat, in the Vatican’s Holy See led to a debate.
In another statement that sparked doubts about his progressive stance, he said,. “There is too much homosexuality in the Vatican.” 
He allowed blessings for homosexual people but refused to sanction same-sex marriages within the Church.

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Also read: Pope Francis dies at 88: Who could be the next pontiff? Here's the list of potential successors

In 2024, during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops, the pope used a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men while reaffirming the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests, highlighting the apparent divergence in his pastoral outreach and personal views. He later apologised for using the homophobic term.

His stance drew criticism from conservatives who felt he was straying from traditional teachings. 
In December 2023, Pope Francis allowed Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples, provided the blessings are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies.

Communion for divorced and remarried 

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Pope Francis’ admission of the communion sacrament to divorced couples, historically disowned by the Church, was hailed as a great revolution. 
“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.
The move was hailed by progressives as a step towards greater mercy and inclusion but triggered opposition from conservatives who said it undermines the sanctity of marriage.

Conservative views on birth control, abortion and surrogacy 


Pope Francis expressed conservative views on other matters of sexual ethics and like his predecessors, he emphatically condemned birth control, abortion, in vitro fertilisation, and surrogacy, as they are seen to violate natural law.
In his later years, the pope called pornography a “scourge” that constitutes a grave “threat to public health”, and said that “the experience of sexuality is impoverished” by contraception.
In January 2024, he made headlines after describing surrogate motherhood as “deplorable” and calling for an international ban.
Pope Francis described the practice as being a “grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs”.

Also read: When Pope Francis’ medical team wanted to stop his treatment, let him ‘die in peace’

Handling of sexual abuse scandals


One of the greatest challenges for the Church during Francis’ papacy was the clerical sexual abuse crisis.
Francis enforced mandatory reporting and protection of whistleblowers, but his actions were seen as insufficient. His initial defence of Chilean Bishop Juan Barros, accused of covering up abuse, led to public outcry and eventual apologies from the Vatican.

Months after his appointment in 2013, Pope Francis called on the Catholic Church to “act decisively” against paedophile priests. He said the Church must take measures to protect young people, help victims, and ensure the perpetrators are punished. 
He met sexual abuse victims and offered sincere apologies, but critics say he didn’t do much, particularly in punishing and defrocking sexual offenders.
He then made extensive changes in the Vatican’s Code of Canon Law, the in-house legal system of the Catholic Church, addressing shortcomings in the handling of sexual abuse. It removed much of the discretion that allowed bishops and religious superiors to ignore or cover up abuse.

Role of women 


In November 2023, Pope Francis called on members of the International Theological Commission to “demasculinise the Church”, and said, “Women have a different capacity for theological reflection than we men.”
Nevertheless, he supported a male-only priesthood.

Watch: Pope Francis death: Pope Francis has died, the Vatican Camerlengo announces

Unafraid of breaking conventions


Pope Francis was unafraid of breaking convention, and in December 2023, he revealed his plan to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, in honour of his devotion to the Virgin Mary. The Roman site is almost 5 kilometres from the Vatican.
He will be the first pontiff to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore since 1669, breaking the tradition of popes being laid to rest in the grottos beneath St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.