“One is not born a saint, one becomes a saint,” nun Teresa Rovira, who had heard stories from older teachers about Francis as a child, told media this week.
He was one of us. And after 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church it is fitting he became known as the People’s Pope.
Born Jorge Bergoglio, Francis broke many barriers in the often conservative world of religious doctrine.
He was the first Jesuit to be Pope, the first from the Americas, and the first since the Middle Ages to take over from a pontiff who had stepped down.
Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, was a vastly different leader. During Francis’ time, he pushed for the Catholic Church to open itself up to the modern world.
“Pray for me,” he would pronounce at the end of every speech, because, he said, “I am a sinner too.”
Preaching tolerance, he famously said of gay believers: “If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?”
Francis used his soft power to become a champion for social justice issues, shunned much of the pageantry of the papacy, and called for greater action on climate change.
“The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” he said of how we are treating our planet.
His compassion for migrants also agitated world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, as he highlighted the plight of the poor and vulnerable.
“How I would like a poor church for the poor,” Francis said early in his tenure.
Later, on Trump’s anti-immigration stance, he said: “Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian.”
Francis also initiated other changes to the Vatican’s governing body, including greater financial responsibility and allowing lay Catholics to lead Vatican offices.
When he took over, the Vatican was in the midst of a global scandal over clerical child sex abuse and the Catholic Church’s cover-ups.
He promised an end to impunity and changed Vatican law, however, victims’ groups said his actions fell short of the “zero-tolerance” approach.
His reforming views, of course, weren’t well received by traditionalists in the church and conservative political leaders.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei had, before taking office, accused Francis of being an “imbecile” who “promotes communism”. However, upon his death pointed to his compatriot’s “goodness and wisdom” despite their “differences”.
Francis worked right up until his death, at age 88, despite doctors telling him to rest.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Francis a “beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage”.
The late pontiff’s favourite football club, San Lorenzo, said he was “a thoughtful, open-minded, cultured man”, while Argentine football great Lionel Messi perhaps said it best and thanked Francis for “making the world a better place”.
After Francis’ funeral, attention will turn to the cardinals and who among them will be the next Pope.
The Catholic Church has a great opportunity to continue the legacy of reform Francis began. Right now, the world needs a leader who is as open and compassionate as Francis was.
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