New Delhi: The first head of the Roman Catholic Church from the Americas in 1,300 years and also the first Jesuit at the helm of the Vatican, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was often called an “outsider pope”. Though a surprise pick in 2013, Francis—who died at the age of 88 Monday—went on to become one of the most consequential occupants of the papacy.
He sought to reform the centuries-old institution while retaining its contentious traditional doctrines. Known to work himself to exhaustion, Francis didn’t stop working even when he was hospitalized.
While being treated for double pneumonia in February this year, he approved a new three-year process to consider reforms for the Roman Catholic Church. Francis extended the work of the Synod of Bishops, an advisory body to the pope, which in October last year discussed reforms including the possibility of women serving as deacons and for the Roman Catholic Church to be ‘more welcoming’ towards the LGBTQ+ community.
“The holy father … is helping push the renewal of the Church toward a new missionary impulse,” Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, told the media in March, adding, “This is truly a sign of hope.”
Also Read: PM Modi condoles Pope Francis’s death: ‘His affection will always be cherished’
Bergoglio’s journey to Francis
The Argentine-born leader came from humble roots. Born on 17 December, 1936, he was the son of Italian immigrant parents who grew up in a working-class household. His father was a railway accountant while his mother dedicated herself to raising their five children.
Before entering the seminary, Bergoglio took an unconventional path—earning a degree in chemistry and working as a janitor, nightclub bouncer, and lab assistant.
In 1958, he joined the Jesuits, taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in 1960. After studying in Chile, he earned degrees in Philosophy and Theology in Argentina and went on to teach literature and psychology at schools in Santa Fé and Buenos Aires between 1964 and 1966.
He was ordained a priest on 13 December, 1969, and his training continued in Spain before he returned to Argentina, taking on leadership roles as a novice master, theology professor, and rector.
By 1973, Bergoglio had risen to the position of provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina, a role he held for six years. His tenure coincided with the “Dirty War” (1976–1983), a period of political violence and military rule.
His actions during this time remain controversial. Some accused him of failing to protect two Jesuit priests, Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics, who were kidnapped and tortured by the military. Jalics in a statement in 2013, however, clarified that Bergoglio never denounced him to the junta.
After Bergoglio’s tenure as provincial, he returned to academic roles, serving as rector of the Colegio de San José and working as a parish priest in San Miguel from 1980 to 1986. He then traveled to Germany to complete his doctoral thesis before returning to Argentina, where he was appointed spiritual director and confessor at the Jesuit Church of Córdoba.
Bergoglio’s rise within the Catholic Church accelerated in 1992 when Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, archbishop of Buenos Aires, picked him as a close adviser. That same year, Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires.
Six years later, he succeeded Quarracino as the city’s Archbishop.
In 2001, he was made a cardinal and took on various administrative roles within the Vatican. By 2005, he was leading the Argentine Bishops’ Conference.
On 13 March, 2013, he was elected, taking the name Francis after St Francis of Assisi. On the night after he was elected, a Vatican spokesman said the then 76-year-old decided against being chauffeured in a bulletproof Mercedes limousine, the usual mode of transport for the pontiff. Instead, Francis rode in a minibus with the other cardinals.
His papacy quickly gained attention for its focus on humility, inclusivity, and economic justice. His decision to forgo traditional papal luxuries, such as the red shoes and lavish car, was a reflection of his vision for “a church that is poor, and for the poor”. “Oh, how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor,” Pope Francis was once quoted as saying.
He chose not to live in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, where most pontiffs have lived, saying he was “not used to living in such large spaces”.
Francis was unconventional in many other ways: he was a big soccer fan and met Maradona several times after becoming pope in 2013.
“To depict the pope as a sort of superman, a sort of star seems offensive to me. The pope is a man who laughs, cries, sleeps tranquilly and has friends like everyone else, a normal person,” he said in an interview with an Italian newspaper in 2014.
Even till the very end of his 12-year papacy, Francis remained a humble pastor, still remembered in Argentina for travelling extensively by bus and subway and staying close to the people he served.
Francis’s views on LGBTQ+ rights
While Pope Francis couldn’t alter Church doctrine on LGBTQ+ issues, his approach was notably more compassionate and inclusive than some of his predecessors.
In a 2013 interview, he famously said, “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?”
He also emphasised that, according to the Catechism, LGBTQ+ individuals should not be marginalized but fully integrated into society. Some observers even saw his choice of the term “gay” rather than “homosexual” as a subtle but significant shift. Though this statement didn’t lead to doctrinal reforms, its impact is undeniable. The Advocate, a leading LGBTQ+ magazine, named Francis its 2013 Person of the Year, highlighting the power of a pope’s influence in changing hearts and minds worldwide.
However, before his papacy, Francis—then Cardinal Bergoglio—strongly opposed same-sex marriage in Argentina. In 2010, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner led a battle to pass a bill to legalise gay marriage. Francis, then archbishop of Buenos Aires, put himself right in the middle of the fight, calling the proposed legislation “a destructive attack on God’s plan”. The bill eventually became law.
He also warned that adoption by same-sex couples could harm the traditional family. Yet, according to his biographer Sergio Rubin, Bergoglio privately supported civil unions as a compromise. Theologian Marcelo Márquez, a gay rights advocate, confirmed this to The New York Times.
But as Bergoglio became the Pope, his stance on LGBTQ+ issues gained global attention.
While Pope John Paul II had condemned a gay rights march in Rome, Francis struck a different tone.
His remarks signaled a shift, though not a doctrinal change. Time magazine, which named him Person of the Year in 2013, noted that his words reflected both the promise and limits of his papacy.
By 2015, Francis continued to balance liberal hopes and conservative expectations, warning of threats to the family while also acknowledging evolving societal norms. In 2018, he reiterated Church teachings but urged parents to support LGBTQ+ children, stating, “To ignore a son or daughter with a homosexual tendency is not good parenthood.”
Francis’s style of functioning
Francis’ views on economic justice have also drawn attention.
In a 2013 speech, he condemned the “cult of money” and financial systems that he said create vast inequalities. While acknowledging the role of wealth, he called on the rich to help those in need, advocating for reforms at individual, clerical, and governmental levels.
His leadership style was shaped by past challenges, including his experiences during Argentina’s “Dirty War”. Some believe this period transformed his approach, making him more humble and reflective.
In a 2013 interview with America Magazine, he admitted, “My style of government at the beginning had many faults … My authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative.”
Francis has also sparked conversations about liberation theology, a movement that emerged in Latin America in the 1950s and ‘60s, focusing on poverty and social justice. While the Vatican had historically distanced itself from the movement, Francis adopted a more open stance.
In 2013, he invited liberation theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez to the Vatican, a move seen as a symbolic gesture of acceptance.
However, he never fully endorsed liberation theology, instead advocating for a balance between spiritual and social concerns.
As the first Latin American pope, Francis brought a fresh perspective to the Catholic Church. His down-to-earth style earned him titles like “The People’s Pope” and “Pope of the 99 percent”.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: After same-sex blessing ruling, Pope Francis warns against inflexible ideologies