The humanity and openness of Pope Francis sparked many discussions in the church. However, for the public, he will be considered one of the better ones.
The funeral of Pope Francis will recall the legacy of a man who has inscribed himself in the history of the Catholic Church with a number of remarkable things. He was the first Pope from the American continent. At the same time, he was among those church officials who were not afraid to comment on topics that were taboo for the vast majority of his predecessors - homosexuality, same-sex marriages or sexual abuse by clergy. So what was he really like?
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His parents fled from Italy before the rise of Benito Mussolini's fascism. He was a restless child. Nuns remembered him as a "little devil". At the age of twelve, he fell in love with a girl named Amalia. However, her parents did not wish for their relationship. In a letter to her, he wrote that she was the only one for him. And if he didn't marry her, he would become a priest. In the end, he achieved much more. But the controversies that accompanied his personality remained.
Career
Hand in hand with his gradual rise in the church hierarchy, he became increasingly well-known. As a professor of theology at the Jesuit faculty, he taught literature, psychology, philosophy, and theology. He was fluent in several languages: in addition to Italian and Spanish, he also communicated in German and Latin.
In 2001 he was appointed cardinal and just four years later he was already one of the candidates for pope. However, he had to wait several more years for his greatest success. Until he was 75 years old.
Such an ordinary life in the Vatican
The selection of a new pope to replace Joseph Ratzinger was awaited until the fifth round on March 12, 2013. Only then could it be officially announced that Bergoglio would take the papal throne. As the first pope in the history of the Church, he chose the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
The fact that this time there would be a slightly different representative of the Church could be understood by everyone after just a few days in office. Some personal matters, including making phone calls, he continued to handle himself. The receptionist at the Jesuit residence in the Vatican could tell a lot about it. When he heard that Pope Francis was calling, he replied incredulously with these words:
"Yes? And I am Napoleon."
František's humility and moderation also manifested in other ways. He supposedly lived in a small apartment, cooked for himself, and occasionally moved around the city using public transport.
Sexual abuse
In addition to amusing anecdotes, however, František had to face a series of growing problems. The image of the Church in the eyes of the public was increasingly being damaged by sexual scandals of Catholic clergy. He repeatedly condemned them openly and apologized for them. This was reportedly also the reason why Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State, was dismissed in 2013. His name was linked not only to leaks of confidential documents about corruption and power struggles within the Vatican, but also to the exposure of these sexual practices. In 2019, the Pope then held the very first conference of the leading representatives of the Catholic Church dealing with such abuse.
Nevertheless, he did not avoid criticism either. The reason? He was allegedly covering up some offenses of other dignitaries. This was supposed to concern accusations made against Cardinal McCarrick or the appointment of Cardinal Danneels as a delegate of the Synod on the family after it was revealed that he tried to hush up abuse committed by Bishop Vangheluwe.
Being gay is not a crime
Another contentious issue sparking discussions was Francis's approach to homosexuality. At first, he claimed that gay marriages embody a "destructive intent against God's plan" and considered the adoption of children by gay men a "form of discrimination against children". However, at the global youth meeting in Brazil in 2013, he stated that he does not consider it right to judge these minorities. And this applies even to priests.
In an interview for the agency AP, Francis stated that the sanctions against homosexuals, which still occur in some parts of the world, are "unjust".
"Being gay is not a crime. Yes, but it is a sin. Let's first differentiate between sin and crime. A lack of love is also a sin,"
told the agency AP.
In the 2020 document, Francesco even supported registered partnerships for homosexuals when he stated that homosexuals have the right to live in a family because these are "children of God". He mentioned in this regard the case of Andrea Rubera, who along with his partner adopted three children. At the same time, Rubera was addressing the issue of how to raise them as Catholics at the local parish, without causing any trauma to them.
At the end of last year, the Holy See officially announced that clergy can bless unmarried and same-sex couples. Despite the fact that it still does not recognize them and does not consider them as equivalent partnerships.
Francis's humanity is paradoxically demonstrated even after his death. He recently approved plans to shorten and simplify the papal funeral. While previous pontiffs were buried in three coffins made of cypress, lead, and oak, the last one so far only has a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc.
The era during which František led the church was full of changes and turbulence. However, he was able to lead his believers through the rough waters with honor. Will his successor also be able to do this?
Sources: Wikipedia, Ceskenoviny.cz, AP
