The Pope who changed the Church

When conservative Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in 2013, citing frailty of body, the Catholic world braced for a like-minded successor. All eyes were on Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola, then 71, a theological twin of Benedict and the bookmakers’ favourite. But as the age-old adage in Rome goes, “He who enters the conclave as pope, exits as cardinal.”

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When white smoke emerged from Sistine Chapel, the bells of St. Peter’s rang and the words “Habemus Papam” echoed across Vatican, it wasn’t Scola who emerged on the balcony, but the football loving cardinal from Argentina — Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Unknown to most beyond Buenos Aires, the man from the ends of the earth would soon become the beating heart of the Catholic Church.

From the outset, it was clear that this would be no ordinary pontificate. Instead of donning the grand papal clothes, the new Pope stepped out in a plain white cassock, as if to say, “let me walk with you, not above you.” And in a moment of breathtaking humility, before blessing the faithful, he knelt down, bowed his head and asked them to bless him. The world witnessed not a showman cloaked in ritual, but a shepherd clothed in grace.

He chose the name Francis — after the saint of Assisi, who embraced poverty and loved nature. No Pope before him had borne the name. It was not a name picked randomly, but a vow to the poor, to peace, and to simplicity. For 12 years, Francis lived what he preached, endearing himself to millions and became the most beloved pontiff overtaking John Paul II.