Farewell, Pope Francis - The Papacy & Vatican City (Part 1)

On April 21st, 2025, Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, passed away at the age of 88. More than 250,000 people came to his funeral service, including roughly 30 heads of state, a testament to the influence a religion with more than a billion faithful can have.

Since his election as pontiff on March 13th, 2013, Pope Francis has done a number of things, resulting in his significant popularity while also facing backlash from opposition. In this two-part series, we’re looking back at who was Pope Francis and his legacy, as well as how his successor would be chosen by examining the inner workings of Vatican City.

Who Was Pope Francis?

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17th, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis’s papacy can be regarded as a number of ‘firsts’. He was the first Jesuit pope (meaning he was a member of the Society of Jesus), the first from the Southern Hemisphere, the first Latin American, the first to be born or raised outside Europe since Pope Gregory III’s papacy in the 8th century, and the first pontiff not to live in the Papal Palace since Pius X (from the 20th century).

His story of ascending the ladder of Roman Catholicism to become pope is an inspiring tale in itself. He was motivated to join the Society of Jesus (a Catholic religious order founded in 1540) in 1958 after suffering from a severe illness. In 1969, he was officially ordained a priest, and he then served as the Jesuit provincial supervisor of Argentina from 1973 till 1979. He became Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, and was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He was elected by the Church to become the 266th pope after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, and chose his papal name of ‘Francis’ in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.

Francis’s Legacy

Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has received a lot of praise for his reformative actions, while there have also been some harsh critics.

On the one hand, he is widely recognized for being one of the most progressive pontiffs to ever lead the Church, characterized with his implementation of social reforms and a liberal stance. Notably, he promoted for the inclusivity of LGBTQ individuals, advocated for migrant rights (clashing with leaders such as US President Donald Trump over border policies), expanded leadership roles for women in the Church (appointed women to key roles in the Vatican), and encouraged indigenous and interfaith reconciliation (apologized on behalf of the Church’s past actions).

He was also known as “the People’s Pope”, a name that gestured to his actions towards helping the poor and the marginalized. He lived a simple life as pontiff, not living inside the Papal Palace but instead in the Vatican ‘guesthouse’, and mostly wore plain white robes (refusing to wear extravagant red velvet even at his papal inauguration). He advocated for the migrants, refugees, and prisoners, famously washing the feet of Muslims and prisoners, moving actions that symbolized his humility.

Even after death, the pope’s simplistic themes can be seen throughout his funeral service as he was laid to rest. He was placed inside a normal wooden coffin lined with zinc, instead of the cypress, lead, or elm ones of his predecessors. Francis also broke from tradition with his request to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major instead of inside St. Peter’s Basilica, becoming the first in centuries to be laid to rest there. ‘The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus,’ Francis specified. This was yet break from tradition, as most popes had tombs with an inscription as tribute to their papacy.

Pope Francis surely lived up to his papal name of ‘Francis’, as St. Francis of Assisi was also known for his humility and simplistic life.

On the other hand, Francis’s papacy has also been attacked by fierce opposition, with some believing he was a disruptor of the Church. This comes to no surprise, as Pope Francis was known to have clashed with some conservative Catholic views.

One of them was Francis’s decision to restrict the Traditional Latin Mass, which had been expanded by Pope Benedict XVI.

In addition, some argued that a portion of Pope Francis’s controversial statements were creating and spreading confusion about the moral teachings of the Church, for example, Francis’s famous remark ‘who am I to judge?’ regarding LGBTQ individuals.

Lastly, Francis’s decision to not be dictated by tradition and to live outside of the Papal Palace also sparked backlash from critics of his papacy.

Conclusion

Like the two sides of a coin, Pope Francis’s papacy will surely be regarded with mixed opinions. However, this pontiff’s legacy will certainly be remembered as someone who prioritized mercy over rigidity.

But whether his reforms will actually stand the challenge of time is still shrouded by a veil of uncertainty, as it’s largely up to his successor to decide the future of the Church.

Next week, in Part 2 of this series, we’ll be discussing how Vatican City works, as well as how the next pontiff will be chosen.

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May Pope Francis rest in peace!