Pope Francis: an unconventional pontiff who sought to modernise Catholicism

RNZ News

21-04-2025

By Liam Temple * of
Francis was a pope of several firsts, Liam Temple writes.
Photo:
Supplied
Analysis:
From the moment of his election in 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the man who became Pope Francis, proved himself to be unconventional.
Shedding much of the formality of previous papal elections, he appeared for the first time on the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica in a simple white cassock without the red ermine-trimmed cape, known as a mozzetta, traditionally worn on such occasions.
On his chest was the silver pectoral cross he had worn as archbishop of Buenos Aires, rather than the gold cross worn by previous popes. His early demonstrations of unconventionality went beyond his dress as he refused to live in the Apostolic Palace, residing primarily in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse.
Pope Francis pictured in November 2017.
Photo:
AFP
He was a pope of other firsts.
He took the name, Francis, in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi, becoming the first uniquely named pope in over 1000 years (the last being Pope Lando in 913). Many of his major teachings, known as "papal encyclicals", echoed the wisdom of Saint Francis.
For instance, Laudato Si (Praise Be to You, 2015) and Fratelli Tutti (All Brothers and Sisters, 2020), concerning care for the planet and care for each other respectively, drew their inspiration from the saint.
"My roots are Italian, but I am Argentinian and Latin American," he insisted in his recent autobiography. It was this background as the first pope from the southern hemisphere, and his upbringing in Argentina, that formed his role as a voice for those on the peripheries of society: migrants, the poor, victims of war and the helpless.
Pope Francis prays in the military cemetery of the World War I memorial of Redipuglia, in northeastern Italy, in September 2014.
Photo:
AFP
Such an approach also reflected a diverse new reality within the church. The majority of the 1.36 billion Catholics around the world live outside Europe and North America.
He made clear early on that representing this new reality was central to his papacy by making his first official papal visit outside of Rome to the island of Lampedusa in southern Italy, where many migrants and refugees fleeing warfare attempted to land as a route into Europe. Denouncing people trafficking and referring to the 2013 migrant shipwreck that killed over 300 people, Pope Francis would later describe the island as an "underwater cemetery for too, too many corpses".
Pope Francis was also the first pope to be formed entirely in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which brought about fundamental changes to how the Catholic church related to wider society and the "modern world". This included the celebration of the Mass in vernacular languages, rather than exclusively Latin.
Such formation shaped his attitude on such topics as the role of women in the church, technology and AI, the ongoing ecological crisis and the relationship between Catholicism and other faiths.
While the pope had made clear his feelings that "Vatican II" had not yet been fully implemented, his adherence to its ethos has made him unpopular with Catholics who view the changes brought about by the council as misplaced.
In 2021, he imposed new restrictions on the use of the older Latin mass, which had been commonplace before the council, now requiring priests to have the permission of their bishop for such a celebration. This reversed the allowances of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who had permitted all priests to say Mass using the Roman Missal of 1962, without bishops permitting them.
Pope Francis delivering his message during a live-streamed weekly private audience in the library of the apostolic palace, in The Vatican, released on 28 April, 2021.
Photo:
AFP / Vatican Media
The move was unpopular among many traditionalists who saw the pope as distancing himself from historical tradition. In response, the pope had criticised "those who seek to 'safeguard the ashes' of the past" rather than concerning themselves with the future growth and progress of the church.
In many ways, Pope Francis embodied a tension at the heart of Catholicism in the 21st century: too liberal for some Catholics and not liberal enough for others. As such, his attempts at reform necessarily became a fine balancing act. History will undoubtedly judge whether the right balance was struck.
His papacy was not without controversy. In May 2024 he apologised for using a derogatory term for gay men in a private meeting with Italian bishops, the remarks splashed on headlines around the world. The episode was particularly shocking as he had previously indicated a shift in the tone of the church's attitude on issues such as blessings for same-sex couples.
In 2018, he admitted he made "grave errors" in his handling of clerical abuse cases in Chile. During a visit to the country, he had defended Bishop Juan Barros who stood accused of covering up sexual abuse. The pope cited a "lack of truthful and balanced information" and subsequently invited the victims to Rome to apologise.
The pope's funeral and burial will continue his unconventionality. He will forgo the traditional three interlocking caskets of cypress, lead and oak, instead requesting a simple, zinc-lined wooden coffin.
He will also be the first pope to be buried outside the Vatican in over a century, asking instead to be buried at Rome's Basilica of St Mary Major. His funeral ceremony will also be simplified and shortened at his request.
Such will be the last act of an unconventional pope, for as he states in his autobiography, "the bishop of Rome is a pastor and a disciple, not a powerful man of this world".
*
Liam Temple is Assistant Professor in the History of Catholicism at Durham University.
This article was first published by
The Conversation
.