EDITORIAL - Requiem for Pope Francis

From his first day as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, Pope Francis signaled his desire to break from tradition. He walked around in his old orthopedic shoes rather than switching to the iconic red loafers of the pope. He moved into the Vatican hotel rather than the Apostolic Palace, and made his own phone calls. He was driven around in compact cars.

Conservative critics scoffed at the moves, but many others saw the gestures to be in keeping with the man who rose from humble beginnings in his native Argentina and became the first pontiff to pick Francis for his papal name, after St. Francis of Assisi, who renounced wealth and dedicated his life to the poor.

It soon became clear that the changes Francis wanted went beyond his personal arrangements. The man who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio 88 years ago to Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires reinvigorated the Catholic Church with his compassion for the downtrodden and his inclusive policies, which resonated among those who were dismayed by the remoteness and rigid conservatism of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI.

Francis’ policies, however, including his efforts to address the financial and other scandals rocking the Vatican bureaucracy, also drew increasing criticism from traditionalists in the Church. And despite his sincere efforts to address clergy sexual abuse scandals that have driven away the faithful from the Church, Francis fumbled in his handling of a case in Chile. Although he later moved to make amends, other cases remain unresolved and the sex scandals have festered.

Still, Pope Francis’ efforts, combined with his natural warmth, gained him global admiration as he addressed problems troubling not only Catholics but all of humanity, from armed conflict to climate change and the many forms of social injustice.

In the Philippines, which he visited in January 2015, Pope Francis prayed for the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda, which killed thousands and devastated much of the Visayas in 2013. He also memorably highlighted the social costs, especially to the family, of Filipinos who found it necessary to work overseas.

While he fell short of allowing the ordination of women, Francis gave women a greater role in the Vatican and Church life. He allowed divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion, and approved “blessings” for same-sex couples as well as baptism for transgender believers.

Pope Francis stressed that homosexuality is not a crime. Asked to comment on gay Catholics, he famously said, “Who am I to judge?”

Whether the Church will sustain the direction that he took or return to traditionalism will be known in the selection of his successor. In the meantime, the world pauses to mourn the passing of a beloved shepherd of the faith.