Pope Francis I, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, passed away this Monday April 21st, on Easter Monday. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the first Latin American pontiff in world history, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, the first from the Society of Jesus (Jesuit order), and the first born or raised outside of Europe since the 8th century Syrian pope Gregory III. He sat at the realm of the Catholic Church for 12 years, as its 266th pope. His time as pontiff has been seen by many as controversial.
Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936. He came from an Italian family, his dad being an Italian immigrant in Argentina, and his mother from a family from northern Italy. He was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958 after recovering from a severe illness. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969. He quickly rose through the ranks to serve as the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina from 1973 to 1979. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was made cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.
After the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Bergoglio was elected at the end of the papal conclave to succeed him on March 13, 2013. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment, animals and birds.
Throughout his public life, his leadership was defined by his dedication to social justice and support to the marginalized. However, he was accused by some of not doing enough to oppose the generals of the brutal military dictatorship that governed Argentina between 1976 and 1983 – especially after the military kidnapped two priests.
He maintained that the Catholic Church should be more sympathetic toward LGBTQ people, and in 2023, he stated that although blessings of same-sex unions are not permitted, the LGBTQ individuals can be blessed as long as blessings are not given in a liturgical context. This was met by significant criticism from his members. Francis strongly opposed trickle-down economics, consumerism, and excessive development, emphasizing the urgent need for climate action throughout his papacy. However, the greatest challenge to his papacy came from those who accused him of failing to tackle child abuse.
With his election to the pontifical office, there was hope for him to rejuvenate the church, and expand to other parts of the world. As Pope, he appointed more than 140 cardinals from non-European countries – including 15 in December 2024.
Over the years, he visited 68 countries on all continents, including a) Africa: 10 countries, focusing on peace-building, social justice, and interfaith dialogue; b) Asia: 22 countries, emphasizing religious tolerance and environmental concerns; c) Europe: 23 countries, addressing migration, economic inequality, and Catholic unity; d) North & South America: 12 countries, advocating for indigenous rights, poverty alleviation, and climate action.
Early in 2022, Francis expressed “shame and sorrow” for the Catholic Church’s role in abuses against the Indigenous peoples in Canada. He apologized for the church’s role in “projects of cultural destruction” and forced assimilation. Near the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School, the site of a search for unmarked graves, Francis said: “I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples.” Vatican rejects ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ used to Justify Colonial Quest and Theft of Land. We are allergic to words without actions… and as you can see this was just it!
Pope Francis visited Africa 5 times in his 12 years, going to 10 countries. His first visit to the continent took him to Kenya, the Central African Republic (CAR), and South Sudan in November 25 – 30, 2015. His second visit was to Morocco in March 30 – 31, 2019; his third visit was to Mozambique, Madagascar, and Mauritius in September 4 – 9, 2019. His last visit was in February 2 – 5, 2023, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and again South Sudan (The Pope Visits the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan). His visits supposedly focused, on paper, on inter-religious dialogue Christian-Muslim as in CAR, peace building as in South Sudan, and social justice. He ‘denounced’ corruption and economic colonialism, and even ‘asked’ colonial powers to let Africa flourish, Pope says Hands off Africa: “Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa, it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered. In Africa, although pope Francis addressed clerical abuse scandals, many felt that he did not denounce child abuse on the continent as much as he did in other parts of the world.
As days go by, we will discuss further.
African Heritage 