Pope Francis bestows legacy of mercy, service, financial reform, environmental protection

Among his humanities achievements arsenic some the archetypal pontiff from the Global South and the archetypal calved extracurricular of Europe successful implicit a millennia, Pope Francis is remembered successful the days pursuing his decease arsenic "the People’s Pope".

The governmental characteristics of his sometimes arguable papacy were dedicated to biology protection, supporting overlooked Catholic communities and compounding equality successful the church.

"[The People’s Pope] is perfectly the champion mode to picture him," Jana Bennett, prof and seat of the Department of Religious Studies astatine the University of Dayton successful Ohio, told Fox News Digital.

POPE FRANCIS REVEALED BURIAL WISHES JUST DAYS AFTER BECOMING POPE IN 2013

Pope Francis was the person of the Catholic Church for 12 years earlier passing distant connected April 21, 2025. (AP)

Theology experts, Catholics and critics astir the satellite are mourning the nonaccomplishment of Pope Francis, 88, calved Jorge Mario Bergoglio successful Argentina, and dissecting his papacy.

Pope Francis died connected Monday, April 21, 2025, aft battling bilateral pneumonia successful the months preceding his death.

"Even arsenic pope, helium wanted to beryllium treated arsenic an mean person," Bennett said. "I deliberation it’s evident successful the mode that helium wants to beryllium buried."

Pope Francis selected the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a cherished acquainted beatified place, arsenic his last resting spot conscionable days aft being elected pope successful 2013. Separate from the leaders of the Holy See earlier him, Pope Francis chose 1 coffin versus three, made of wood, to beryllium laid retired arsenic faithful wage their respects.

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Pope Francis battled bilateral pneumonia successful the months earlier his death. (Yara Nardi/Reuters)

The erstwhile pontiff released declarations and documents passim his papacy which pointed to advancements for the betterment of some mundane Catholics and non-Catholics. He urged the faithful to person anticipation and question mercy each the time, particularly done the sacrament of confession.

"He believed that everybody should beryllium hopeful," Bennett said. "That we should anticipation successful God and that determination is ever anticipation available, adjacent successful the darkest of times, for caller beingness and for thing caller connected the horizon."

She added that Pope Francis preached a way forward, adjacent for the astir egregious sinners.

"I saw the mode helium interacted," Bennett told Fox News Digital. "Even successful the Popemobile helium would effort to bless radical and speech with them. It was astir the mode helium responded to communal people."

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During his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis met with galore satellite leaders, including President Donald Trump. (Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

"I deliberation that you can't recognize Pope Francis' papacy without attending to the precise nonstop one-on-one mode that helium would scope retired to people," she said. "From the small babe that helium would bless successful the quadrate to radical with disabilities. He granted audiences with conscionable a scope of people; some radical who were the astir impoverished to radical among the astir powerful."

During his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis met with galore satellite leaders, including President Donald Trump, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"I deliberation to him, everyone is deserving of a blessing," Bennett said.

Among vocational and merciful acts of service, Pope Francis would lavation and buss the feet of men, women and children, including those of situation inmates, during an yearly Holy Thursday ritual.

Annually, Pope Francis washed the feet of men, women and children, including situation inmates, connected Holy Thursday. (Vatican Media/Simone Risoluti/­Handout via Reuters)

POPE FRANCIS EMPHASIZED CATHOLICISM GLOBALLY, REACHED BEYOND US, EUROPE INTO IMPOVERISHED NATIONS

"He changed the mode we deliberation astir work to others and work to each and who is worthy of being served by a pope and respected by a pope," Bennett said.

Pope Francis was the archetypal pope to instrumentality the sanction of St. Francis of Assisi, well-known for his telephone for engagement with the impoverished, emotion of instauration and the Church.

"I deliberation each of those things showed up successful Pope Francis’ papacy," Bennett said.

Born successful Buenos Aires, Pope Francis applied his satellite enactment to underscore attraction and interest for radical astatine the margins, specifically successful areas that lacked an abundance of clergy.

Pope Francis often showed mercy to the impoverished and those astatine the margins. (The Associated Press)

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"He besides had a beardown consciousness of the planetary quality of the church," Bennett said. "He had a mode of responding to radical from antithetic countries, antithetic continents. He was a precise crisp politician. He was particularly alert of the fiscal corruption astatine the Vatican, and helium was capable to respond to that."

Pope Francis instituted reforms to guarantee charitable and reputable concern practices astatine the Vatican Bank.

"He surrounded himself with advisors," Bennett said.