Pope Francis marked a decade as head of the Catholic Church on Monday, a period that has seen him remain hugely popular while also confronting internal dissent. When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on 13 March 2013 in plain white papal robes, the newly elected Jorge Bergoglio immediately presented a different kind of papacy. The smiling, outspoken Jesuit stood in sharp contrast to his reserved, intellectual predecessor Benedict XVI, who had shocked the world by becoming the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages. Francis set out a plan to reform a Church plagued by inertia: he aimed to clean up its murky finances, overhaul its governance, and turn its focus outward.
Although he has not deviated from core Catholic teachings—calling abortion murder and labeling homosexuality a sin—Francis has adopted a more compassionate, less dogmatic tone. He has condemned the persecution of gay people and, according to Italian Vaticanist Marco Politi, “no more demonisation of homosexuality, debates on extramarital relations or the contraceptive pill… all that has been taken off the table.” The 86‑year‑old pontiff, who seems happiest when among his flock, has emphasized social justice, inter‑religious dialogue, environmental stewardship and the rights of refugees. “The pope has engaged the Church on issues that are at the heart of Western democracies, such as the environment, education, law,” noted Roberto Regoli, a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
In the wake of the worldwide sexual‑abuse scandal, Francis’s reforms have introduced new obligations to report clerical child abuse and its cover‑up. On the international stage he has sought alliances with China, Muslim countries and the Russian Orthodox Church, although ties with the latter have been strained by the war in Ukraine and little has emerged from his offers to broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow. Despite advancing age and health problems—hospitalised in 2021 for colon surgery and now using a wheelchair due to knee trouble—Francis continues to travel widely. Earlier this year, huge crowds greeted him in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, underscoring his enduring popularity. Catholics also recall his guidance during the coronavirus pandemic, especially when he stood alone in St Peter’s Square in March 2020, urging believers to ease their fears through faith.
Francis’s humble style—choosing a modest apartment over the gold of the Apostolic Palace and inviting the homeless and ex‑prisoners to his table—signalled a shift in attitude from the start. Yet some critics argue that his willingness to discard papal trappings and adopt a highly personal governance of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics goes too far. “Francis demonstrates an authoritarianism that the Curia hasn’t seen for a long time. Inevitably, this can be irritating,” a senior diplomat in Rome told AFP on condition of anonymity. The first Latin American pope now faces strong opposition from the Church’s conservative wing, a tension heightened by the deaths of two leading conservatives—Benedict on 31 December and Australian Cardinal George Pell in January. While Francis has said he would follow Benedict in resigning if his health prevented him from fulfilling his duties, he maintains that resignation should not become the norm and is not on his agenda.
Preparations for a conclave, during which a successor will be chosen, have already begun—not with manoeuvres over names, but over the ideological platform of the future pope, Marco Politi told AFP. In that regard, Francis is already leaving his mark: he has appointed 65 percent of the cardinals who will one day elect his successor.
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