A Look Back at the Legacy of Pope Francis' Tenure

On April 21st, 2025, many were shaken by the passing of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, better known as Pope Francis. Francis had the honor of serving as pope, the leader of the Catholic Church from 2013-2025. Francis took over the Catholic Church during a time of much turmoil and opened up the church to many new groups and individuals. He worked on many progressive and charitable reforms that all people, regardless of religious affiliation, can be proud of.

Immediately following his election by the Papal Conclave, Bergoglio instantly set the tone of what his tenure would be like by selecting his papal name, Francis, from Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Francis of Assisi was known for his dedication to charity and charitable actions after he renounced his worldly possessions and family assets, instead embracing a life of poverty. Pope Francis has gone on record to say that he was inspired to choose the name Francis after the Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes had whispered to him, "Don't forget the poor." The pope also has been quoted as saying that he chose the name because Francis of Assisi “brought to Christianity an idea of poverty against the luxury, pride, and vanity of the civil and ecclesiastical powers of the time. He changed history." These values would continue to inspire Francis throughout his tenure as pope.

Francis channeled these values directly, as seen by his actions. One of the many examples can be seen with one of Francis’ earliest measures, his strong support of turning the post office of the Vatican into a free medical clinic that could be used by both homeless people as well as migrants, including those who were undocumented. Later at this clinic, additional showers would be set up where anyone struggling could use them. Francis also cared about poor people all over the world. Just last month, even as Francis’ health worsened, he took the time to talk to Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who is doing charitable work in Ukraine for the Ukrainian people, to show his support for the actions of Krajewski. Another way that Francis showed his message of charity was by commissioning sculptors to create works that represented his inclusive vision. One of the most famous sculptures was made by Timothy P. Schmalz, which showed 140 different refugees and migrants from all parts of history traveling on a boat together. Examples of the people on this boat include: refugees from countries of war, Jewish people leaving Nazi Germany,  Indigenous People, and Joseph and The Virgin Mary. According to Francis, he commissioned this statue right in St. Peter's Square “so that all will be reminded of the evangelical challenge of hospitality.”

Another key part of Francis’ tenure was his desire to open up the Catholic Church to more groups of individuals, especially by being more inclusive to women and LGBTQ individuals. Francis pushed for women to have increased roles in the Catholic Church and had a record-setting number of women in top roles at the Vatican and throughout all areas of the Catholic Church. According to a study done by CNN, during Francis’ tenure, “The percentage of women in the Vatican workforce had risen from 19.2 to 23.4%.” For LGBTQ individuals, Francis would be willing to go on record saying that the Catholic Church needed to “create a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.” While still not fully being in favor of gay marriage, this statement by Francis was historic compared to previous, more conservative factions of the Catholic Church. Overall, Pope Francis had a tenure of promoting social change. It will be interesting to see how this carries on under the next pope.