A portrait of Pope Francis placed in the Greek-Catholic Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, on April 21, 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
Pope Francis died Monday morning at the Vatican at age 88. His 12-year papacy was marked by sweeping reforms, bold diplomacy and efforts to modernize the Catholic Church — often in the face of internal resistance.
Combating sexual abuse
From Ireland to Germany to the United States, mounting sexual abuse scandals posed one of the most painful challenges of Pope Francis’ tenure.
After a disastrous trip to Chile in 2018 — which led to high-profile resignations and the pope’s own public apology for defending a bishop accused of abuse — Francis began issuing repeated apologies to victims, whom he frequently met in person.
In a landmark move in 2019, he laicized former U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after he was found guilty of sexually abusing minors, sending a strong signal on his promise of "zero tolerance."
That same year, the Vatican hosted an unprecedented summit on child protection, followed by new measures: lifting the pontifical secret on clergy sexual abuse, mandating clergy and laypeople to report abuse to their superiors, and setting up listening centers in dioceses worldwide.
Still, critics say the reforms did not go far enough. Anne Barrett Doyle of the U.S.-based group BishopAccountability told AFP in 2024 that they were “superficial,” arguing the Church still lacked transparency, independent oversight and mandatory penalties. “Structurally, they keep all elements of cover-up,” she said.
Diplomacy and the 'peripheries'
During 47 international trips, Pope Francis prioritized what he called the “peripheries” — countries affected by poverty or conflict — over traditional Western strongholds of Catholicism.
He championed multilateralism, condemned the global arms trade, and promoted interfaith dialogue, including a historic 2021 visit to Iraq and outreach to the Muslim world.
His papacy saw a landmark 2018 agreement with China’s communist government on the appointment of bishops. In 2014, Vatican diplomacy played a key role in brokering the U.S.-Cuba thaw.
But his approach hit limits with Russia’s war in Ukraine. Despite repeated calls for peace, Francis struggled to influence the conflict. In 2024, he sparked controversy by urging Ukraine to show the courage to “raise the white flag” and negotiate, drawing backlash from Kyiv and its allies. His outreach to Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill also faltered, despite a 2016 meeting — the first between a pope and a Russian patriarch since the 1054 schism.
Migrants, climate, and LGBT+ inclusion
A hands-on pastor and vocal advocate for a more inclusive Church, Francis welcomed LGBT+ faithful and remarried divorcees, most notably authorizing blessings for same-sex couples in late 2023. The move drew strong backlash from conservatives, particularly in Africa and the United States.
The pope — whose own family emigrated from Italy to Argentina — was a tireless defender of migrants, visiting the Italian island of Lampedusa, the Greek camp at Lesbos, and the French port city of Marseille. He criticized restrictive immigration policies, including those of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
In 2015, his encyclical Laudato Si’ laid out a powerful case for “integral ecology,” establishing him as a global voice on climate justice.
Reforming the Church
Pope Francis sought to decentralize Church power, elevate the role of laypeople and women, and empower local churches. In 2022, these changes culminated in a new Constitution that reorganized Vatican departments, placing evangelization at the center.
He tackled corruption and financial mismanagement at the Vatican by creating a Secretariat for the Economy in 2014, tightening investment regulations, introducing anti-corruption policies, and cleaning up the Vatican Bank — closing 5,000 accounts in the process.
He also overhauled the Synod of Bishops, for the first time including laypeople and women in the Church’s global decision-making forum.
Yet his reforms faced stiff resistance. In 2021, he restricted the use of the traditional Latin Mass, prompting outrage among traditionalist Catholics and sparking one of the fiercest internal debates of his papacy.
