A legacy of mercy and tension

NICK EICHER, HOST: It’s Tuesday the 22nd of April.

Thanks for listening to WORLD Radio! Good morning, I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

First up on The World and Everything in It, remembering Pope Francis.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the first pope to take the name of the founder of the Franciscan order, characterizing his commitment to the poor and the stewardship of nature. Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, making him the first pontiff from the Americas.

EICHER: Francis will be remembered for his focus on the poor, but his lasting legacy may be the unintended consequences of how he responded to poverty, immigration, and human sexuality, unlocking the door to doctrines and practices the church has long preached against.

WORLD Radio Executive Producer Paul Butler has the story.

PBS: [FIRST APPEARANCE AS POPE]

PAUL BUTLER: On March 13th, 2013, on the fifth ballot, the College of Cardinals elected the Catholic church’s 266th pope…introduced in St. Peter’s Square as Pope Francis:

POPE FRANCIS: [ITALIAN] Brothers and sisters, good evening! You know that it was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one…

He says it was the Conclave's duty to give Rome a Bishop. He jokes: “It seems that [they] have gone to the ends of the earth to get one…”

Jorge Bergoglio entered the Catholic order of the Jesuits as a priest in 1969. As the child of Italian immigrants to Argentina, Bergoglio was no stranger to poverty and political violence.

SOUND: [1974 ARGENTINA POLITICAL VIOLENCE]

Bergoglio served Argentinian Catholics during tumultuous years, when the government sought to stamp out communism. Around this time, Catholics in the Global South began to more fully embrace liberation theology—a framework for teachings on poverty and suffering that incorporates economic and political ideas drawn from Marxism.

JORDAN BALLOR: And so Francis is faced with the kind of a broader discussion about the relationship between rich and poor…

Jordan Ballor is director of research at the Center for Religion Culture and Democracy.

BALLOR: …this movement that is presenting somewhat of a coherent answer to the challenges of wealth and poverty.

Pope John Paull II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI (sixteenth) both took strong positions against liberation theology and censored its proponents. Bergoglio kept his distance, sympathizing with the movement but never formally adhering to it.

BALLOR: And, you know, that kind of, you might say, ambivalence towards liberation theology, I think, has continued into his papacy.

After his election as pope, Cardinal Bergoglio took the name Francis…the first pontiff to be named after Francis of Assisi. He sought to emulate Assisi’s focus on caring for the poor and God’s creation.

As pope, Francis navigated a complicated range of issues, from efforts to legalize and normalize homosexual unions to calls for global action to confront changes in climate.

In 2015 he addressed the U.S. Congress calling for a stronger commitment to environmental protections:

POPE FRANCIS: I am convinced that we can make a difference. I’m sure. [APPLAUSE]

Many saw Francis as a progressive force within the church. And his statements frequently raised concern for people both in and out of the church.

POPE FRANCIS: If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?

When asked about homosexuality in 2013, Francis said, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Some took that to be a softening of the church’s stance towards homosexuality, though others affirm that Francis did not change church doctrine regarding the nature of Biblical marriage.

Just last year the Pope angered many LGBTQ advocates when he warned of the dangers of gender theory—saying it was a threat to society as it sought to erase the difference between the sexes.

SOUND: [VISIT TO CHILE]

Many times during his papacy, Francis came under fire for his handling of the ongoing sex abuse scandals. He seemed to blame victims of slander during a 2018 visit to Chile…though he later admitted to what he called “grave errors in judgment.” He apologized to victims while demanding bishop resignations.

SOUND: [VISIT TO CONGRESS]

Pope Francis also strayed into geo-political debates. In 2016 he visited the US/Mexico border and publicly prayed for those who had died trying to cross into the United States.

SOUND: [VISIT TO BORDER]

During the visit he criticized then presidential candidate Donald Trump over his promise to strengthen the border. CNN’s Rosa Flores called Francis “the Pope of Mercy.” A label that stuck.

Here’s Jordan Ballor once again:

BALLOR: He will be seen I think as a Pope of the heart focusing on the piety and the charitable orientation of the Christian heart.

Ballor says this legacy does not conflict with his predecessors, but can be read in conjunction with them.

BALLOR: You've got a pretty robust expression of a social thought that is oriented towards the intellect, the will, and the heart in a way that they complement one another and can correct one another

What remains to be seen is whether the next pope reaffirms the doctrinal defenses of prior Popes, or continues Francis’s ambiguity towards the Left.

BALLOR: In many ways his legacy will be defined by what his successors do just as the legacies of Jean -Paul II and Benedict XVI have in many ways been refined or defined or transformed by by Francis himself.

Last month Pope Francis marked the 12th anniversary of his election while hospitalized.

SOUND: [JD VANCE MEETS WITH POPE]

On Sunday, April 20th, US vice president JD Vance met with the pontiff and thanked God for his improved health.

SOUND: [PAPAL BLESSING]

Francis blessed Easter pilgrims from St. Peter's Basilica and surprised the crowd with a trip around the square in his car. It turned out to be his final goodbye.

On Monday morning, Cardinal Kevin Ferrell announced the death of Pope Francis from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: [ANNOUNCING POPE’S DEATH IN ITALIAN]:

He says: “At 7:35 this morning, The Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father's house. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church.”

The Vatican officially sealed the Papal Apartment of the Apostolic Palace on Monday, and proclaimed the traditional season of mourning. A conclave of cardinals is expected to convene in the next two to three weeks—where they will choose a new head of the Catholic church.

For WORLD, I’m Paul Butler. 

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