When Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina assumed the Papacy in 2013, and took the name Pope Francis, his leadership style was a sharp contrast to the man he had succeeded, Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger).
Pope Francis was the 265th successor of St Peter.
Benedict XVI was the first Pope to retire voluntarily in 600 years of the history of the Catholic Church. The ascension of Pope Francis created an extraordinary situation of two men alive who had been at the helm of the Catholic Church.
This was the inspiration of the book, The Two Popes by Anthony MacCarten, a dual biography of the two popes told in one book and which was also adopted into a movie by the same title and starring Anthony Hopkins as Benedict (What a contrast to his previous role as Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal !).
Francis' different style was on display from the time after his election as Pope, appearance of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican and the declaration “Habemus Papam” (We have a Pope). As traditionally expected, he appeared at the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica where crowds had been waiting for the news and face of the new leader.
A handout picture taken on October 26, 2013 and released by Osservatore Romano on October 29, 2013 shows Pope Francis addressing the crowd at St Peter's square in the Vatican with a boy standing next to him on the occasion of Family Day.
Photo credit: Photo | OSSERVATORE ROMANO | AFP
What he did next was unusual. He bowed before the crowd in St Peter’s Square and asked them to pray to God to bless him. He then went ahead to bless them. He also asked them to pray for his predecessor.
As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before becoming Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVII was a strict theological enforcer who wrote widely on church doctrine and was nicknamed, ‘God’s Rottweiler’, for his passionate and fierce defence of the teachings of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was considered by many as more liberal in his approach to sensitive issues challenging society today.
“If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?" the Pope said in 2013 and added that such people should be integrated into society instead of being shunned.
"The problem is not having this orientation," he said. "We must be brothers. The problem is lobbying by this orientation, or lobbies of greedy people, political lobbies, Masonic lobbies, so many lobbies. This is the worse problem," he added.
Pope Francis also encouraged women to play a greater in the church and evangelism, although he acknowledged they could not become ordained priests, in accordance with church doctrine.
"We cannot limit the role of women in the Church to altar girls or the president of a charity, there must be more. But with regards to the ordination of women, the Church has spoken and says no... That door is closed," Pope Francis said.
President Willliam Ruto with Pope Francis at the 50th G7 Summit, held at Apulia in Italy.President Ruto is one of the five African leaders invited to attend the 50th G7 Summit, held at in Italy.
Photo credit: Photo | PCS
On democracy and politics, last year the Pope warned against populism and warned that democracy, as much as it’s a good way of governance, is under threat.
“"It is evident that democracy is not in good health in today's world. Ideologies are seductive. Some people compare them to the Pied Piper of Hamelin. They seduce you, but they lead you to deny yourself,” he said, alluding to the famous story of a rat catcher who uses the magical powers of his pipe to lure rats out of the German town of Hamellin and later steal its children.
Pope Francis also set out to reform the powerful Roman Curia (the group of various Vatican bureaus of the Holy See that assist the pope in the day-to-day running of the Catholic Church). He ordered an audit into their finances and other structural reforms. This was only the fourth time it had happened in 500 years. He made evangelisation the top priority of the curia, replacing the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the Holy Office) had been the “supreme” congregation.
Pope Francis was known for his compassion towards the poor and his simplicity. When he visited Kenya in 2015, he was driven from the airport in a small car, a Honda Ballade sedan. This was in sharp contrast to the obscene display of opulence and might by politicians and even some church leaders.
During the Mass at the University of Nairobi grounds, his vestments were made locally by Dolly Craft Sewing Project in Kangemi. He later visited the slum.
In 2017, Pope Francis gave an interview to Milan street magazine when he was asked about his opinion on giving money to beggars on the streets and fear that they will spend it on things like buying alcohol. His answer was crisp.
“There are many arguments to justify oneself when you do not give alms. ‘But what, I give money and then he spends it on a glass of wine?’ If a glass of wine is the only happiness he has in life, that is fine. Instead, ask yourself what you do secretly. What ‘happiness’ do you seek in private? Help is always right,” he replied.
His approach could have been influenced by his experiences of living among the poor of Buenos Aires. He had been a priest and bishop during a time when Argentina went through the calamitous reign of General Augusto Pinochet. The reign was marked by abductions and forced disappearances and denial of basic freedoms.
While homosexual marriages in the Catholic Church remain impossible, Pope Francis said, this is not the case for civil unions, because "it is right that these people who live the gift of love can have legal coverage like everyone else."
He was a strong defender of human life human life and referred to abortion as murder performed by "hired killers, hitmen!", and called the practice of surrogacy "inhumane."
