In the first months of his 2013 papacy, Francis was asked his thoughts on Gay priests, he famously responded, “Who am I to judge?” shocking Catholics worldwide. This became a defining moment for Francis’ next 12 years as Pope, where he was a champion for refugees, the poor, the LGBTQ+ community and other groups overlooked by the church. Though, on April 21, 2025 Pope Francis passed away in the Vatican City, an event that will shape the reality of the Roman Catholic church for decades to come.
Francis was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1936. As a young man he worked as a nightclub bouncer and factory worker where he met and worked closely with Esther Ballestrino to protest Argentina’s military dictatorship. Bergoglio became a Jesuit, studied philosophy and taught literature. In 1992 he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires and later became Archbishop. Pope John Paul II anointed him as cardinal in 2001 where he focused on the Church’s civil service, known as The Curia.
After Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013, Bergoglio was elected Pope by papal conclave. He chose the name Pope Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi for his dedication to humility, poverty, and love for creation. The 800 year old process of selecting a new pope that has remained almost entirely unchanged will soon take place again. 138 cardinal electors will be shut into the historic Sistine Chapel to discuss and vote for the future pope. Four rounds of voting will take place before a candidate receives more than two thirds of the vote, and becomes the successor to Francis. 80% of the cardinals were appointed by Pope Francis himself, with representation from six continents. Current frontrunners include Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, a Filipino cardinal with decades of pastoral experience. Some have dubbed him the “Asian Francis” because of his dedication to social issues and sympathy towards migrants. Other possible candidates include Hungarian cardinal Peter Erdo, a more moderate cardinal who has navigated Viktor Orban’s authoritarian state in Hungary.
The successor will be tasked with deciding the direction of the church in its approach to social issues and interpreting the doctrine. In Francis’ 12 years of service as pope he promoted unity among Catholics and encouraged the church to embrace its diversity. He was the first pope to address the United States congress where he pleaded for unity to solve global problems and received standing applause across both aisles. A famous saying from the Vatican is “he who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal.” Whoever emerges from the papal conclave as pope will be tasked with leading 1.37 billion catholics worldwide in their faith in an increasingly polarized world.
