Pope Francis' legacy: progressive or split to the church?

Pope Francis' legacy: progressive or split to the church?

Vatikanstadt, Italien - On April 21, 2025, Pope Francis died at the age of 88. The bishop of Rome and "Vicarius Christi" leaves a mixed legacy that is perceived as progress and as a split. For the first time elected Pope from South America and Jesuit, he took office on March 13, 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI. had resigned. Francis chose the name of one of the best -known saints who stands for poverty and simplicity and deliberately put accents on a reform of the Catholic Church.

Already at the beginning of his pontificate he broke with traditional customs. He appeared on St. Peter's Square in 2013 without the usual papal robes and rejected the magnificent apartment in the Apostolic Palace in favor of the Santa Marta guest house. This appearance reflected its rejection of pomp and its obligation to make a simpler lifestyle. Francis particularly devoted himself to the poor and oppressed people, which was expressed in a symbolic foot washing in prison inmates, including a Muslim woman.

a Pope for the dialogue and the poor

Franziskus' commitment to migrants was already evident in his first trip abroad to Lampedusa in July 2013. This trip branded the refugee crisis and the death of many people in the Mediterranean. He criticized the restrictive migration policy, in particular the deportation plans of the US President, and put the dignity of people for the foreground that flee out of need.

his pontificate was shaped by social and political statements. In 2015 he published the encyclical "Lauato Si’ ", in which he linked the ecological crisis with social questions and called on global solidarity. Interestingly, his attitude towards capitalism was ambivalent. While he denounced social injustices, he was also criticized for his sometimes anti -capitalist statements. His secret agreement with the China Communist Party 2018 led to controversy and allegations of the "sell -out" of the Catholic Church.

a difficult heir

Francis also leaves questions. Critics criticized his often unclear statements on topics such as homosexuality and transgender. Despite his progressive approaches, he remained true to the abortion of a traditional Catholic attitude and described it as "order murder". This ambivalence brought him the title "Dictator Pope", especially because of his layoffs in the curia and fear that he would suspect inner church.

his apostolic letter "Fratelli Tutti", published on October 3, 2020, deals with the challenges of humanity and society in the post-pandemic world and calls for rethinking in the social and economic field. It is followed by the tradition of the papal social cyclics, which has been published since Pope Leo XIII was published. "Rerum Novarum" in 1891 takes up central issues of social justice, including the rights of the workers and the challenge of socialism.

The legacy of Pope Francis is considered complex by historians. It may be remembered as the Pope of the poor, the media and the confusion. His teaching and conviction of faith, especially in relation to dialogue with other religions, are still controversial.

In the global Catholic community, the question remains how his heir and reforms can be taken up and continued.

For further information on his life and his pontificate history, you can read the reports from Exxpress.at, the chronological stations of Diepresse.com and the historical perspective on the social cyclics of katholisch.de.

Links to the complete articles:
Exxpress.at
DiePresse.com
katholisch.de