The Next Shepherd

The passing of Pope Francis marks the end of a transformative era for the Roman Catholic Church.

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His death is not merely the departure of a spiritual leader — it is a defining moment for 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, a moment pregnant with questions about the Church's identity and its path forward.

Francis was not a traditional pope. He was a disruptor in the most dignified sense, deliberately tilting the Church's centre of gravity away from the aging strongholds of Europe to the teeming margins of the Global South. His appointments reflected that vision. From Mongolia to Myanmar, South Sudan to Tonga, he chose cardinals who brought with them the concerns of communities often left voiceless in global ecclesiastical deliberations. In doing so, Francis injected not just diversity, but a kind of moral urgency into the Vatican's bloodstream — one that focused more on mercy than doctrine, more on inclusion than judgment.