Pope Francis: A legacy full of contradictions and challenges!

Pope Francis: A legacy full of contradictions and challenges!

On April 22, 2025, Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. His pontificate was marked by sweeping changes and a multitude of challenges that affected not only the Catholic Church but also the world at large. Professor Michael Seewald from the University of Münster takes stock and describes Francis as a personality who was perceived by many as “very approachable”, especially in his role as a pastor. Nevertheless, as the highest leader of the Catholic Church, he could also seem aloof.

Seewald points out that Francis is often considered “unfinished,” which is an accurate description for any papacy. Particularly noteworthy are the importance he attaches to economic criticism and environmental ethics, which have had an impact beyond the boundaries of the Catholic Church. He became a voice for the disadvantaged and campaigned vehemently for climate protection. However, his reforms within the church show a mixed outcome.

Reforms and challenges

Francis had great ambitions to reform the church, but without completely transforming it. The demand for a spiritual-pastoral quantum leap was a central concern of his term of office. In a notable move, during a 2014 Christmas reception, he presented a “catalog of illnesses” from the Roman Curia that denounced problems such as feelings of indispensability and spiritual petrification. His goal was to make the Curia more missionary and to strengthen the role of lay people and women in leadership positions, especially in the new Basic Law, which came into force on the day of Pentecost 2022.

Francis made numerous reforms, particularly in the Vatican's finances, and restricted the "old mass." He also established a “synodal process” at the beginning of 2021 that was intended to promote a new type of decision-making in the church. These approaches demonstrate an effort to dialogue across denominational and political boundaries and to find answers to the challenges of the modern world.

A legacy of mercy

A central theme of his pontificate was mercy, which he anchored not only in doctrine but also in deeds. In November 2015 he opened the “Holy Year of Mercy” in the Central African Republic. Francis has always sought to build bridges, especially in dialogue with other religions, such as through the Abu Dhabi Declaration, which created new approaches in interreligious cooperation.

However, when it came to issues of social justice and equality, his reform record often fell short of expectations. Although he criticized the conditions within the Roman Curia and the behavior of some dignitaries, his statements about women's rights and same-sex couples often remained only rhetorical in nature. This led to a certain degree of uncertainty regarding the concrete implementation of his theories and ideals.

Seewald sees the upcoming conclave as a significant moment that is not only about the election of a new pope, but also about the decisive decisions on the direction of the future of the Catholic Church. Francis never wanted to be seen as a great theologian and had neither theological airs nor specific favorites for the next conclave.

The record of his pontificate shows that Pope Francis has had a lasting and complex impact on the Catholic Church and beyond. The challenge of fulfilling the claim of a “world church” remains a central point of discussion for his successors and the entire Catholic community. While he will be remembered as an encourager and reformer, the deeper discrepancy between the goals set and the changes realized is also revealed.

uni-muenster.de reports that Francis is remembered as a voice of the disadvantaged and a champion of environmental and economic criticism. vaticannews.va discusses the comprehensive reforms of his pontificate and the challenges they pose. Seewald concludes by noting that every papacy has a record of successes and defeats, and Francis is no exception.