Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church, died early Monday morning after a long battle with chronic lung disease and complications from pneumonia. The pope was 88 and had served as pope since 2013. Following his death, the Vatican has begun preparing for the conclave where cardinals will vote on the next pope.
Born in Argentina in 1936, Pope Francis made history as the first leader of the Vatican from the Americas and the first representing the Jesuit order. During his papacy, Francis was known for his progressive views and the breaking of several papal traditions, receiving both praise and criticism for this. He expressed support for both gay and transgender individuals and expressed skepticism toward capitalism and the overconsumption of energy. He also pledged to end the Catholic Church’s history of sexual abuse.
Voices on the left overall mourned Pope Francis, publishing perspectives regarding his advocacy work. Voices on the right recounted his time as Pope through a more critical lens, calling out hypocrisy in many of his beliefs.
The Washington Post Opinion (Lean Left bias) published an article which read, “Francis hoped to revolutionize the church, replacing clericalist rigor with an unapologetic celebration of popular religiosity. It would also be a voice of conscience on the world’s most profound economic, ecological and cultural challenges. That was already a lot, but it wasn’t just that. Francis’s papacy was wrestling with deeper questions not just for Catholics, but for anyone hoping to hold on to religious tradition in an age of secularization. As Francis well understood, conflict was inevitable — and perhaps a Hail Mary was the only way out of the impasse.”
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board (Lean Right) wrote, “Pope Francis was best known for urging concern for the poor, in the best Christian tradition… He made support for the weakest among us the rhetorical centerpiece of his papacy. He brought a public informality and openness to the Vatican. Alas, Pope Francis believed ideologies that keep the poor in poverty.”
MSNBC (Left) published an opinion that argued, “Francis’ plea for mercy for the vulnerable, whether LGBTQ people or migrants, is both remarkable — and basic Christianity. In many ways it’s a sad reflection of what we expect of Christian leaders to find Pope Francis so revolutionary.”
An article in The Federalist (Right) stated, “Under Francis, great changes in the Catholic Church always seemed to be on the way but never arrived in full. Time and again, what Francis gave with one hand he withdrew with the other. The result was not some big reform or change in doctrine leading to schism, but deepening chaos and division in a church already on the brink of open war.”