What Will Become of the Francis Legacy?

Tributes and condolences to the late Pope Francis and to his bereaved followers have been pouring into the Vatican from persons and institutions high and low all around the world. These include the contribution of our own Prime Minister, a Roman Catholic in his own right and that of the local Roman Catholic hierarchy. Pope Francis had been ailing for some time, and from his last public appearance on Easter Sunday it was apparent that he did not have much longer on earth. He died within 24 hours.

It has been a long journey for Jorge Mario Bergoglio, (Pope Francis’ real name) from the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires to Vatican City, the world’s smallest state, where he became the head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics and a Head of State in his own right. From the beginning of his papacy, he made it clear that his papacy would be different, marked by simplicity and identification with the poor the world over, a Pope “of the common people” as he termed it.

He was the only Pope to choose the iconic name of Saint Francis of Assissi, revered as the patron saint of the poor. He explained this by saying that Saint Francis had “brought to Christianity the idea of poverty versus luxury and the pride and vanity of the civil and ecclesiastical powers of the time”. While he may not have been completely successful in his attempt at transformation, it is clear that this identification with humility remained until his death. For instance, he was the only Pope who chose not to live in the sumptuous palatial palace, but instead resided in a nearby guest house. His instructions for his burial, in simplicity, also bear that hallmark.

But insisting on personal simplicity and transforming an institution characterised by pomp and ceremony for almost 2000 years, are two different undertakings. The Popes of Rome historically have had a very chequered history. It was Pope Alexander the Sixth who in 1493, drew a line on the world map delineating the western hemisphere as belonging to Spain and Portugal. This legitimised the Spanish rape, plunder and genocide in most of what became Latin America, and Portuguese slavery in Brazil. In modern terms this was the forerunner to the infamous Berlin Conference of 1884 at which the European powers divided Africa amongst themselves.

Nevertheless Pope Francis stuck to his beliefs of fairness in spite of powerful opposition within the church itself. Right up to the end he was outspoken on what he openly described as Israel’s genocide and acts of terrorism in Palestine, and he prominently spoke out against the perpetuation of exploitation of African resources and the resultant pauperisation of its people. He visited both Africa and Palestine himself and also undertook a visit to Canada where on behalf of the Church, he publicly apologised for the inhuman treatment of the indigenous people there by the European colonists. He also faced calls for the Catholic Church to make a full apology for African slavery.

Pope Francis was also identified with progressive policies such as the climate change campaign and the abolition of the death penalty, but given the intrinsic bias of a church long identified with celibacy, his full support for the rights of women and other such progressive acts were compromised by powerful conservative forces within the church. That struggle is bound to be manifested in the selection of his successor, and it is left to be seen whether his immediate legacy is strong enough to guarantee the election of a worthy successor.

SEARCHLIGHT extends its condolences to the entire Catholic community at home and worldwide.