Abuse scandals, disunity and diplomacy the new pope's challenges
An artist painting a mural of Pope Francis in the Villa 21-24 neighborhood is seen during a pilgrimage in Buenos Aires on April 26. PHOTO: AFP
Vatican City - Pope Francis' successor will face a litany of challenges, from the place of women and the LGBTQ community in the Catholic Church, to diplomatic challenges in a conflict-riven world.
Unity
Uniting a divided church will be one of the main tasks facing the new pope.
During his 12-year-long papacy, Francis often came under fire for his more liberal policies, such as welcoming migrants and restricting the use of the Latin Mass.
Traditionalists in the United States and Africa in particular were angered by his efforts to give lay people and women a greater role in the Church, and his decision to open the door to blessing same-sex unions.
His successor will have to make peace between the Church's conservative and liberal fringes.
'A pope always brings people together,' Luxembourger Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich told reporters.
'That unity in the church will be very important. But you don't unify the church by going backwards.'
Sexual abuse
Though he brought in a series of measures to combat clerical sexual abuse, victims associations said they were disappointed with Francis, accusing him of not doing enough.
The issue remains a major challenge for the Church, with the scandals showing no sign of abating.
And it will not be an easy solve. In many African and Asian countries, the subject remains taboo. Even in Europe, Italy has yet to launch an independent investigation into abuse allegations.
Diplomacy
As well as being leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, the pope is the head of the Vatican state.
His voice carries weight in a world wracked by numerous conflicts, from Ukraine to Gaza and Sudan.
The pope's opinions have consequences.
Francis at various times angered Israel, Ukraine, Russia and the United States with his comments on conflicts and immigrants.
The rise of populist politics, the development of artificial intelligence and the climate emergency are all issues that will demand the pope's attention, as will immigration.
And then there are the delicate relations with China, not least the thorny issue of appointing Catholic bishops in the country.
Women's place
The place of women in the Church will also continue to spark debate. Francis appointed women to key positions, including in January naming the first woman prefect of a Curia department.
Hopes that a woman would be named a deacon were dashed, however, at the last world assembly.
'The role of women certainly depends to a large degree on the cultures the churches belong to and there are many differences, not just from one continent to another, but from one nation to another,' Mr Roberto Regoli, a priest and professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, told AFP.
'So it's more a cultural than theological question.'
Fewer priests
Francis' successor will lead Catholics living in communities around the world.
The number of faithful is growing in the southern hemisphere but it is declining in Europe.
And the total number of priests spreading the faith is falling – albeit slowly.
Between 2022 and 2023, the number of priests around the world dropped by 0.2 per cent to 406,996, despite an uptick in Africa and Asia.
Though church attendance is different from one region to another, the rise of evangelical churches, particularly in Africa, is creating stiff competition.
Style
Francis ripped up the rulebook, rejecting luxury, and was at his happiest when mingling with his flock.
He refused to live in the papal apartments, opting for rooms at a Vatican guest house instead.
He would make his own phone calls, visit the optician, write his own replies to letters, and accept mate – the traditional herbal infusion from South America – offered to him by pilgrims.
But he also faced criticism for an authoritarian management style as well as his tendency to speak his mind and go off script, sometimes embarrassing or dismaying aides with his public statements.
While the next pope will hope to show he too is a people's pontiff, the Vatican would doubtless appreciate a Catholic leader better at sticking to the official line. AFP
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