Pope Francis, Charismatic Reformer and Disruptor, Dies at 88

Francis also strived to make the Vatican a mediator for peace in what he described as a “Third World War fought piecemeal” in Syria in 2013, Ukraine in 2022 and the 2023 war in the Holy Land. He also advocated for peace in South Sudan, Yemen and Myanmar.

Francis diligently kept to the Vatican’s tradition of remaining above the fray, even avoiding calling Russia the aggressor in Ukraine and holding numerous meetings with both parties in that conflict. The pope condemned terrorist attacks against Israel while pleading for the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“Pope Francis served the world, not just the Catholic Church,” said journalist Victor Gaetan, author of the book “God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America’s Armageddon.” “From the first months of his papacy, he worked quietly, and diligently, to promote peace. His engagement often made a difference, as in Syria in 2013 or Colombia in 2016. Other times, geopolitics undermined his diplomacy of dialogue and encounter.”

Francis successfully prioritized relations with the Arab world, Gaetan explained, leading to the first-time-ever invitations to visit the United Arab Emirates (2019) and Bahrain (2022), then to mutual recognition between Oman and the Holy See (2023).

“Pope Francis showed us that Christ-like diplomacy can be real, not just aspirational, and this differs from how global powers are running the world,” he said.

The pope’s refusal to take sides in a time of war, to double down on doctrine amid mounting secularism and to provide quick solutions in a fast-paced world contributed to making Francis a highly divisive figure in the history of the church. His opponents called him authoritarian and a heretic, some even asking that he step down as pope.

His supporters praised him for fostering a climate of dialogue and frankness that allowed forms of criticism to be fearlessly expressed in the first place.

“He is a pope who opened the doors,” Borghesi said. “In little time, the pope was able to restore credibility to the church in the world. This pope cleared the air, allowing Catholics to meet the world of today with their head held high and with the desire to communicate the beauty of the Christian truth to the world.”

Francis leaves behind him a church still divided, but radically transformed. Cardinals meeting at the conclave to elect the next pope will have the task of deciding what identity the church should pursue from now on, knowing that the expectations of 1.3 billion Catholics and the world are forever changed.

This article originally appeared here.