Pope Francis marked ten years as head of the Catholic Church on Monday with a podcast, a private Mass, and a series of interviews, one of which sparked a diplomatic spat with Nicaragua. In the Vatican News podcast, the 86‑year‑old recalled his election as if “it seems like yesterday,” after first having to be told what a podcast was. When asked what he would like as a gift for the anniversary—beyond a Mass with cardinals—he answered simply, “Peace. We need peace.”
Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope on 13 March 2013, after his predecessor Benedict XVI shocked the world by becoming the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages. He has said he never expected to be elected, packing only a small suitcase for the conclave in Rome, assuming he would soon return to Buenos Aires, where he was archbishop. Yet over the next decade he overhauled the Church’s governance, cleaned up the Vatican’s finances, and took action against clerical child abuse. He also shifted many people’s perception of the papacy by focusing less on theology and more on social issues such as migration and the environment. While maintaining traditional doctrine on abortion and gay marriage, he has sought to present a more open, compassionate Church.
Not everyone is enamoured with Francis’s approach, especially the conservative wing of the Catholic Church. German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller recently criticised the pope’s “doctrinal confusion.” Nonetheless, Francis has never shied away from controversy, regularly using his pulpit to denounce the mafia, consumerism, and the arms industry. In an anniversary interview with Argentine outlet Infobae, he described Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government as a “crude dictatorship.” Ortega’s administration, long at odds with the Church, responded by saying it was considering suspending diplomatic ties with the Vatican. In another interview with Swiss broadcaster RTS, the pope condemned the involvement of all “great powers” in the Ukraine war, praying regularly for victims while facing criticism for not squarely blaming Russia as the aggressor.
Francis’s outreach extends beyond Catholicism. He has sought to improve ties with Islam, and Sheikh Ahmed al‑Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo’s Al‑Azhar mosque, sent congratulations on the ten‑year milestone, praising the pope’s efforts to “build bridges of love and fraternity among all human beings.” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Anglican leader Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, also offered messages of support. Welby joined Francis on a recent peace mission to conflict‑ridden South Sudan, where huge crowds gathered to see the pontiff, as they do wherever he travels.
Despite his age and health issues, the pope continues to travel widely. He was hospitalized in 2021 for colon surgery and now uses a wheelchair because of knee trouble—a condition he admitted made him “a little ashamed.” Francis has said he would follow Benedict’s example and resign if he ever became too infirm for the job, but he insists resignation is not on his agenda. When asked by Italy’s Il Fatto Quotidiano what his hopes for the future were, he replied, “That the Lord be merciful with me. Being the pope is not an easy job.”
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