On 21 April 2025, Jorge Mario Bergoglio died, more known as Pope Francis. I am not a Catholic, and I do not identify with any religion. Do I, then, have the right to justice the ultimate ruler of the Catholic Church? Of course, the deficiency of sensitivity and spiritual reflection can make my assessment of the figure of Pope Francis incomplete. At the same time, however, the late Pope was besides the sovereign of the Vatican State, an global player. From this perspective, the political dimension of his pontificate should besides be assessed.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in 1936 in Buenos Aires as a descendant of Italian immigrants, and ordained priest in 1969. In 1992, he was nominated as bishop and in 2001 the dignity of cardinal. On 13 March 2013, he was elected 266 Pope. As the ultimate ruler of the Catholic Church, he was controversial. He presented social leftist views and referred to liberation theology. He was open to dialog with another religions and worldviews. erstwhile Pope Francis met with an Indian shaman during his visit to Canada, apologizing for the Church's guilt towards the indigenous people of Canada, he was accused of apostasy and idolatry. The expected sacralization of the Indian goddess of the land of Pachamama had a akin effect. Catholic traditionalists poured proverbial “Sink bucketsConsidering him “anti-Pope” and in utmost cases for incarnation “AntichristIt’s okay. ” As anecdote, the pope himself says: “One of my friends, the cardinal, erstwhile told me about a devout female who came to him very concerned. A small stiff, but Catholic. She asked him if it was actual that in the Bible, the book of Revelation speaks of an antichrist who would be an anti-Pope. He didn't realize why he was asking him that. In consequence he heard: due to the fact that I am certain Francis is. erstwhile asked how she came up with specified an idea, she replied that she thought so due to the fact that the Holy Father does not wear papal red shoes‘ [1]. Fundamentalists and Catholic fanatics discredited the Pope, calling him heretic, Mason, and Communist. Among another things, Alessandro Minutella, a suspended priest from the Diocese of Palermo, claimed that he heard voices and had supernatural visions that Francis was not a actual pope but a false prophet: “That infernal dragon, the black beast, the false prophet. The false prophet is Bergoglio‘ [2]. I would besides add that, after the death of Pope Francis, any expressed their joy by announcing that Jorge Bergoglio surely “He's burning in hell.“.. But let's leave these divisions to the psychiatrists.
The political dimension of Pope Francis' pontificate is more interesting. In this regard, he appears to advocate peace and social justice. Francis was a consistent opponent of the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, which he earned in peculiar the reluctance of pro-war activists trying to transform the war in Ukraine into a conflict of a global dimension. Among the criticisms was the pope’s message that: “One possible reason for Russia's attack on Ukraine and Putin's attitude may have been ‘ barking at Russia's door by NATO‘ [3]. In August 2024 Pope Francis caused the storm with the following statement: “When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you must have the courage to negotiate. Stronger is the 1 who sees the situation, who thinks of the nation, who has the courage of the white flag to negotiateth’. This message was considered to favour Russia.
Bergoglio, of course, made mistakes and made bad decisions. In particular, his statements about immigrants or homosexuals were controversial. Although he tried to direct Christian mercy as head of the Catholic Church, he did not take into account the social consequences of his demands. There were besides voices that the Pope was not making adequate efforts to aid persecuted Christians in various parts of the world. Nevertheless, the deceased Pope Francis was primarily a advocate for peace and reconciliation of nations.
During his last message, the pope said: “I would like us to renew our hope that peace is possible! May Easter be celebrated on the same day by Catholics and Orthodox, the light of peace shines on the full Holy Land and on the full world.‘, ‘,May the Risen Christ pour out the Easter gift of peace on the troubled Ukraine and decision all those active to proceed their efforts to accomplish just and lasting peace‘. ‘At the same time, I address my thoughts to the inhabitants, and in peculiar to the Christian community in Gaza, where a terrible conflict continues to bring about death and demolition and causes a dramatic and shameful humanitarian situation.‘ [5]. Let the peaceful message of the late Pope Francis be the task to be accomplished!
Michał Radzikowski
[1] https://deon.pl/: "Franciszek responds to allegations that he is an Antichrist, anti-Pope and Communist".
[2] https://deon.pl/: “The false prophet is Bergoglio”. "All critics of Pope Francis".
[3 and 4] https://witnesses.wp.pl/: “The death of Pope Francis. Controversial statements by the Pope about the war in Ukraine and Russia".
[5] https://www.gasetarawna.pl/: "The last message of Pope Francis. “I would like us to remainder assured that peace is possible!”
