Pope Francis has died, but the transformative impact of his papacy—marked by structural reforms that some view as a return to the Church’s roots, and others as a further departure from them—will endure as his lasting legacy.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a man of many firsts. When the white smoke arose from the Sistine Chapel more than a decade ago, he became the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first to be a member of the Jesuit Order.
The unorthodox nature his papacy extended beyond his election by the conclave in 2013. Francis’ headlining changes were a softening of the Church’s stance on homosexuality and contraception, an openness to women carrying out leadership positions within the church, and a rejection of the affluent trappings often associated with the Bishop of Rome.
“His election in 2013 will be seen as a kind of tectonic shift in the life of the Church,” Michael Sean Winters, a longtime writer for the National Catholic Reporter told Newsweek.
How Pope Francis Changed The Catholic Church
Upon his election, Pope Francis‘ mandate was seen as revamping the Church, demonstrating that it could be a dynamic institution capable of adapting to the imperatives of modern society.
Sweeping changes were enacted in his first years that continued for the duration of his papacy, including increasing the visibility and influence of women in the Church, and acknowledging the contributions they had made to it in the past.
Pope Francis waves as he arrives for his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo /Alessandra Tarantino) Alessandra Tarantino/AP
For the first time, women were appointed to roles exclusively held by men. Barbara Jatta was appointed director of the Vatican Museums in 2016; Sister Nathalie Becquart became the first woman with voting rights in the Synod of Bishops in 2021; and Sister Raffaella Petrini was appointed secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State in 2021, later handed a promotion to president by Francis only weeks ago.
Though he maintained the Church’s stance on all-male deacons and priests, his focus on gender inclusivity has opened up these matters for debate, according to Dr. Massimo Faggioli, a historian of the Catholic Church and professor of theology at Villanova University.
“He has allowed Catholics to talk about this—bishops and theologians—it’s no longer forbidden to talk about these things and have a discussion,” Faggioli said. “That’s been a big change from his predecessors.”
Pope Francis poses for a photo with nuns at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on June 22, 2022. Andrew Medichini/AP Photo
Beyond gender inclusivity, Francis worked over his 12-year rule to broaden the representation of religious figures from often-overlooked regions, appointing 163 cardinals from 76 countries, 25 of which had never before been represented in the College of Cardinals.
He also occasionally positioned himself in opposition to the old guard of the Church, greatly increasing the influence of the Synod of Bishops, a convention of bishops from around the globe who advise the pope on issues facing the Catholic Church, while granting women the ability to vote in this assembly for the first time.
“He has worked hard to replace clerical careerism with clergy and laity as imitating Christ in his ministry,” said American academic and ordained priest Thomas Worcester. “There is more to be done on this, but Pope Francis has moved the church in this direction.”
This bottom-up, or synodal, approach to church governance has been considered the epitome of his tenure—described by Michael Sean Winters as the “apotheosis” of his papal reforms.
According to Catherine Clifford, professor of systemic and historical theology at Saint Paul University, Francis “challenged Catholics to move beyond the sterile separation between clergy and laity and to rediscover an ethos of co-responsibility through practices of shared discernment and decision-making.”
Through his emphasis on global collaboration and the involvement of lay persons and women, he has, Clifford said, “modelled a more humble exercise of papal authority.”
Candles, flowers and a portrait of Pope Francis are laid at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis was hospitalized in Rome on February 22, 2025. Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images
These reforms garnered Francis criticism from the most traditional of the Church’s sects—Faggioli said that the changes “angered a specific kind of identity-driven Catholics.”
But it is his failure to reform and his failure to amend the deep-rooted problems of sexual abuse in the clergy that will be a mark on his legacy—given these were viewed by many as his principal papal directive in 2013.
Despite promises to crack down on the issue, Francis failed to excommunicate abusers and enabling officials, and his attempts to rid the Church of sexual abuse were viewed by many as apologetics, though important amendments to church protocols were made.
“He repeatedly just pontificates [excuse the pun] about the crisis, often in eloquent, even heart-wrenching ways, without following through with concrete, effective reforms,” David Clohessy, an activist and advocate for victims of clergy abuse, wrote in 2023.
Sparring With World Leaders
The pope’s interventions in the world of politics and international relations will be among the best-remembered episodes of his papacy, given the still-contemporary nature of the debates he engaged in.
Francis was seldom afraid to comment on issues that were unquestionably divisive, criticizing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, offering potential routes to resolving the Russia-Ukraine war, and making theologically driven condemnations of Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
U.S. President Donald Trump, wife Melania Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump meet Pope Francis on May 22, 2017, in Vatican City, Vatican. Vatican Pool – Corbis via Getty Images
These drew the ire of many and arguably contributed to his declining approval ratings among American Catholics during his papacy, while setting him apart from his somewhat contrarian predecessor, Benedict. But his comments on both global and domestic political issues were also a source of praise.
“All will remember his relentless defense of the dignity and rights of immigrants and refugees,” Worcester said, “a defense against those who slander such persons as criminals.”
Winters saw Francis’ political opinions as borne out of his central belief that “a politics that doesn’t start with compassion will always be misguided,” a guiding principle captured in his 2020 encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti. This ideology, Winters said, represented a challenge to both “hyper-nationalist, sometimes racially tinged alt-right beliefs” as well as the neoliberalism that has characterized Western democracies over the past four decades.
How Will Pope Francis Be Remembered?
Francis’ papacy will be remembered for its emphasis on environmental stewardship, the greater attention paid to underserved Catholic populations outside of Europe, as well as a seemingly more genuine concern for poverty and human suffering particularly in the global south.
“He had such a powerful sense of gesture,” Winters said. “He was able to communicate with people who are not lettered, who do not study theology.”
To Clifford, the pope’s choice to take the name Francis—for Francis of Assisi—was a “bold gesture,” and one that “set the tone for his entire pontificate.”
“No pope had ever dared to place their ministry under the patronage of Francis of Assisi, a giant among the canon of Christian saints, known for his radical simplicity and love for the poor,” Clifford told Newsweek. “Pope Francis will surely be remembered for his humility and constant concern for the poor and those on the margins of church and society.”
Faggioli said: “He is the first pope who really opened Catholicism to its global dimension, meaning less European, less Western, Less North, and more oriented towards the global south, meaning not just Latin America but also Africa, especially Asia.”
While the next conclave may vote in a pope who is less outspoken and refrains from the radical reforms pursued by their predecessor, Faggioli said that Francis changed the papacy in such a way that it will be difficult for the Church to entirely slip back into its old ways.
So, while his 2013 election will certainly be viewed as a “tectonic shift,” the efforts he made to refurbish the Catholic Church for the modern age mean that the end of his papacy will be viewed with far less significance. (Newsweek)