This Pope is diverse

By: Beatrice E. Rangel - 13/11/2024

This is how a guide at the Vatican Museums described Pope Francis. Asked what he thought Francis’ legacy would be, he shrugged and said: “He has given up the papal apartments and lives in a small hotel. But he has not taken sides in any visible cause.”

These words led me to reflect on whether there really is a legacy of Pope Francis. First, I tried to form an opinion by contrasting the work of Francis with that of his predecessors. Beginning with St. John XXIII, beyond his canonization, the Catholic Church that received Paul VII had left behind the complex liturgical twists and turns to begin a period of direct dialogue between the priesthood and the faithful and the faithful with God. Paul VI, the Peregrine Pope, was the first pontiff to travel by plane across six continents in an effort to unite Christianity under a single emblem: “development is the new name for peace.” Pope John Paul II will be remembered for his relentless fight against all forms of authoritarianism in the world and his defense of democracy. Under his reign, the communist system implanted by the USSR in his native land of Poland collapsed. He was also the first non-Italian Pope in 445 years.

Benedict XVI was one of the world's most beloved theologians. His efforts to place God at the center of the universe of modern life, transcending religions, earned him the closeness, respect and admiration of other churches, including the Jewish, some Islamic, the Orthodox and the Coptic. In his encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI said, "Everything has its origin in God's love, everything is shaped by him, everything is directed toward him. Love is God's greatest gift to humanity, it is his promise and our hope." We will also remember him for having resigned from the papacy when he realized that his strength had ceased to accompany him and he retired to reflect in prayer.

Pope Francis began his reign with signs that he would implement changes. To begin with, he simplified the procedures for attending to the pontiff by reducing the number of assistants and the rituals for supporting him. He imposed a lighter protocol and chose the name of the saint most dedicated to the poor in the history of the Catholic Church. He has also given signs of wanting to deepen the legacy of Paul VI in the sense of uniting all the churches of the world under the sign of a single god. However, all these gestures have not materialized in policies that ensure that the Vatican will function with less pomp when he is called by God. Nor has he created the bridges and links necessary to maintain the unity of the worship of God between churches and thus foster understanding between human beings. Hence, he will possibly be remembered for his different behavior but not for a historical legacy that he has not taken care to build.

And in this respect, Pope Francis reveals his Latin American identity, a region where institutional construction has been relegated to the background while mobilization and “extra-institutional” solutions to the problems that affect development are privileged. It is a region where narrative has more weight than operation and where progress is an exercise designed by the few without the participation of the many and without guidelines of meaning and direction. And this baggage may be what defines the legacy of Pope Francis.

«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».