On April 21, 2025, the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Francis, passed away at the age of 88. During his twelve years as the Vatican Pope, Francis supported refugees and the homeless in an unprecedented way and fought for environmental and climate protection.

On May 8, white smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican announced the election of the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church. The first American Pope, Robert Francis Prevost, named Leo XIV, opened a new chapter for the Catholic Church.

Francis - the first pope from Latin America

Francis (real name Jorge Mario Bergoglio) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to an Italian immigrant family. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1958 and became the first pope from Latin America in 2013. He is known for his humility, care for the disadvantaged and promotion of church modernization. He chose the name "Francis" to pay tribute to Saint Francis of Assisi, symbolizing the protection of poverty and nature.

• Simple lifestyle: refused to stay in the papal residence, chose an ordinary room in the Vatican Hotel; wore plain black leather shoes and a $20 plastic watch on a daily basis, and traveled in an electric car or an old Ford Focus.
• Funeral innovation: The will required a simple burial in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome in a zinc-lined wooden coffin, breaking the tradition of popes being buried in the Vatican and becoming the first pope to be buried there since 1669.

In 2013, Francis was named "Person of the Year 2013" by Time magazine; in 2014, he was ranked first in "The World's 50 Greatest Leaders" by Fortune magazine. In the same year, he was named "The World's 100 Most Influential People" by Time magazine; from 2014 to 2015, he was ranked fourth in "The World's Most Powerful People" by Forbes for two consecutive years.

Reform Legacy and Controversy

Francis promoted many reforms during his tenure, including decentralization, combating sexual assault by clergy, supporting women's participation in decision-making, and issuing the encyclical Laudato Si', focusing on social justice, environmental protection and other issues. However, his stance of accommodating blessings for same-sex couples and downplaying the issue of abortion has caused a split between traditionalists and progressives.

Reconciliation with Aboriginals: Canada's Historic Apology

One of the most iconic social actions of Francis during his tenure was to go to Canada in 2022 to apologize for the Catholic Church's involvement in the Aboriginal residential school system. The system has led to the forced assimilation of more than 150,000 indigenous children, 60% of whom are run by the Catholic Church. In his apology, Francis admitted that church members had committed crimes of "destroying culture and abusing people" and expressed "deep sorrow and regret". Although some indigenous people believe that the apology did not explicitly mention "cultural genocide", the move is still seen as a key step for the church to reconcile with its colonial history.

Complex stance on gender issues

Francis' attitude towards women and the LGBTQ+ community is contradictory:

• Women's empowerment: He appointed women to senior positions in the Vatican, but insisted on traditional doctrines that prohibit women from serving as priests.
• LGBTQ+ controversy: The move to approve the blessing of same-sex couples in 2023 has sparked strong opposition from conservatives and has been criticized as "shaking the sanctity of marriage", but his remarks that "I have no right to judge anyone who has good intentions" are still seen as a sign of progress.

International influence

Francis has intervened in international conflicts as a religious leader many times during his tenure. During the 2023 Russian-Ukrainian conflict, he invited representatives from both sides to the Vatican for dialogue and publicly called for a ceasefire, saying that "war is a failure of mankind." In addition, he knelt down and kissed the feet of opposing leaders during the South Sudanese civil war. This scene became a symbol of peace and was widely circulated by global media.

Francis' "peace diplomacy" is not limited to conflict mediation. He also promoted the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Cuba, which helped to break the ice in US-Cuba relations; on the Gaza issue, he publicly supported Palestinian human rights and called for an investigation into whether Israel's military operations were suspected of "genocide." These actions have made the Vatican an indispensable moral force in international affairs.

At Francis' funeral, 250,000 people and dignitaries from many countries gathered in St. Peter's Square. US President Trump, French President Macron, Ukrainian President Zelensky and others were present.

• US-Ukraine interaction: Trump and Zelensky held a 15-minute closed-door meeting during the funeral. Zelensky expressed his "hope for a comprehensive ceasefire" after the meeting, but analysts believe that this meeting was more of a symbolic gesture, and the deadlock on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield has not been resolved.
• Dress controversy: Trump wore a blue suit, breaking the Vatican's black formal dress code, which was interpreted as an implicit expression of "America First"; Zelensky showed up in a black tactical windbreaker, emphasizing his position of "not wearing formal clothes until the war is over."

Leo XIV - the first American Pope

The new Pope Leo XIV, whose real name is Robert Francis Prevost, was born in Chicago, USA, and has dual citizenship of the United States and Peru. He went to Peru for more than 20 years in his early years to preach. In 2014, he was appointed as the Bishop of Chiclayo by Francis. In 2023, he was promoted to cardinal and took charge of the appointment of bishops in the Vatican. Before being elected pope, he was known for his deep experience in selecting bishops and pragmatic administrative ability, and was regarded as one of the important promoters of the Vatican reformists.

• Quick election: The College of Cardinals was elected in four rounds of voting over two days, breaking the election record in recent years, and was regarded as a "centrist" who reconciled the reformists and conservatives.
• The meaning of the name: "Leo XIV" was chosen to pay tribute to Pope Leo XIII of the 19th century, who was famous for defending the rights of workers, and foreshadowed his continuation of social justice.

Policy stance: inheritance and balance

• Social justice: Francis continues to pay attention to immigration, poverty and climate issues, advocates that developed countries take more environmental responsibilities, and criticizes the immigration policy of the Trump administration.
• Conservative bottom line: Opposes women from serving as priests, leaves the blessing of same-sex couples to local bishops, and emphasizes the maintenance of "traditional structure of the church."
• International diplomacy: Calls for peaceful dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, supports Palestinian human rights, and his American identity may make the relationship between the Vatican and China and the United States more complicated.

The unfinished road of change

Francis reshaped the public role of the church with simplicity and mercy, and the challenge facing Leo XIV is more complicated: how to maintain moral authority in a divided world, while reconciling the rift between tradition and modernity within the church? From the slums of Argentina to the power center of the Vatican, from climate change to war mediation, this handover of power across the ages will ultimately test the resilience of faith and reality.

Author：Qinger