Twelve years of pontificate. Twelve years of reforms. On one hand, the economic concerns that forced Pope Francis to make more internal controls in the Vatican accounts.
The objective was to avoid scenes like this one: the arrest of a monsignor accused of alleged money smuggling.
GIANLUIGI NUZZI
Journalist
The auditors pointed out to the Pope the situation that can be summarized in this sentence: there is almost no transparency in the Holy See's balance sheets.
On the other hand, there was the reform against sexual abuse in the Church. In 2019 the pope summoned the presidents of all the bishops' conferences of the world. The aim was to sensitize them to the need for action.
The pope made reforms to better prevent and prosecute alleged abusers. Although there are Vatican officials who point out that the processes are still not transparent.
MSGR. LUIS ALÍ HERRERA
Pontifical Commission for the Guardianship of Minors
The permanent, constant complaint is the lack of communication. A canonical process begins and then many of these victims know absolutely nothing about this process. This same situation, this same complaint, is not only said of the organisms of the Roman Curia, but also of the particular churches, the dioceses, of those in charge of their canonical processes.
Perhaps the Pope's least understood position within the Church, or the one that has raised the most controversy among Catholics, has been the question of the relationship with homosexuality and the LGTBQ field.
Especially when he decided to explore if a type of blessing could be performed for same-sex couples.
CARD. VÍCTOR MANUEL FERNÁNDEZ
Prefect, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
There has been a masterful innovation an innovation in the way we understand blessings. The Pope wanted to broaden the understanding of blessings to develop its pastoral richness. In other words, it helps us understand that there are blessings that do not confirm, do not sanction, do not consecrate, do not justify anything. They are just a prayer of the minister to express God's help to continue living.
Controversies aside, what cannot be left out is his travel history: 47 trips and almost 70 countries. The longest of all was at the age of 87. It was in 2024 when he visited, among others, the country with the most Muslims in the world, Indonesia, to leave scenes like this one and send a message against religious fundamentalism.
If the pontiff has stood out for anything, it is for his gestures. With the poor… with the sick. Or with the marginalized.
One of the most endearing took place in a simple Roman parish, with the hug he gave to the child who asked him if his father, recently deceased and an atheist, was in heaven.
JH
