Margherita Stancati
Appearances
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
Well, Pope Francis was in some ways a social justice warrior. He was definitely seen as progressive within the Catholic Church. So the big question looming as the Vatican prepares to elect another pope is whether that legacy will continue with a new pope or he will take it in a different direction.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
He appeared on the balcony at St. Peter's Basilica. He blessed the crowd that had gathered there for Easter.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
Can you tell us a bit about who he was as a person? So Pope Francis was born in Argentina, in Buenos Aires, in 1936. He was the first of five children. The family was of Italian origin. And he spent his youth in Argentina. That's where he became a priest and where he also first became a bishop.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
He was the first pope from the Jesuit order and the first pope to take the name Francis. And he took that name after St. Francis of Assisi, who was a medieval saint who famously renounced his wealth and embraced a life of poverty. And that is a message that Pope Francis wanted to give at the outset of his papacy and that he stayed true throughout his reign.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
The Pope seemed very frail and still breathless. Our colleague Margarita Stancati is based in Rome. Pope Francis had a life-threatening bout with pneumonia recently. He wished everybody Happy Easter. And then he also got on his Popemobile and drove through the crowd. And that was the last time we saw him in public. So this morning, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had died.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
After he became Pope, he decided to drive around in a simple car and afford focus. He refused to live in the luxurious apostolic palace, instead choosing a modest apartment in the Vatican's guest house. And he always made a point of spending time with the poor, with the homeless, and even with prison inmates.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
Pope Francis washing the feet of 12 women prisoners.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
He was much more informal and he adopted much more lenient positions on issues that ranged from homosexuality to contraception to divorce.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
He did show greater openness towards the LGBTQ community. And that was something that really displeased more conservative Catholics. Just today, a group that advocates for LGBTQ Catholics said that Pope Francis had been a gift to the church and to the LGBTQ plus community. But he was still the head of the Catholic Church, which was still conservative.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
He was quite critical, for example, of what he called gender ideology. So he was progressive within the framework of the Catholic Church, but he was still the pope.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
He was also very outspoken. He criticized global capitalism. He spoke against wars. In his most recent address yesterday, he called for an end to conflicts in Gaza, in Ukraine, and in Sudan. He criticized governments for taking a hard line on immigration and has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration over this. He was especially critical of these kind of large scale deportations.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
And is that unusual for a pope to speak out in this way? I think popes have weighed in on current affairs for a long time. Pope Francis was definitely not shy about it. He spoke out his mind and he very often weighed in on political affairs. And for example, he also called on political leaders to reduce carbon emissions and to combat climate change.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
He wasn't scared to weigh in on some of the most sensitive social and political issues of his day.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
So no controversy during his reign rivaled the impact of the scandals over the sexual abuse of children by priests. The Pope had a no-tolerance policy over the abuse of children, but critics say he could have done more.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
Just today, Bishop Accountability, which is a watchdog group that documents clergy sexual abuse, said that the Pope should have done more to remove and punish abusers as well as their enablers from the church. And they said that this will tarnish his legacy. For example, he did not adopt the practice of permanently barring abusers from serving as priests.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
So Pope Francis was much beloved. He was a very popular pope, but his approach did cause tensions within the Catholic Church. So conservative Catholics, including cardinals and bishops, many of them in the United States, complained that the pope was blurring the lines on doctrine, on issues such as blessings for same-sex couples.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
They also worried that he was being a bit too liberal on issues such as celibacy, although ultimately he did not loosen that requirement. So he did cause some tensions within the church. What would you say is Francis's legacy? Francis's legacy ultimately is promoting social and economic justice. So focusing on these quite concrete objectives more than, you know, on traditional moral teachings.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
He showed flexibility on the church's traditional moral teachings, but really pushed hard when it came to addressing injustices and speaking out against conflicts.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
It was a shock because the Pope had appeared a few hours ago yesterday in public, and so it was really not expected. At 7.35 a.m.,
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
One of the pope's most concrete legacies is the fact that he picked two-thirds of the cardinals who will then be selecting the new pope. So there is a good chance that his legacy will outlive him.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
So the Pope's passing will lead to a period of mourning. So for a few days, that is what the church and the faithful will focus on. After that, there will be a funeral. And after that, there will be a conclave, which is a gathering of cardinals that will meet in the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel and start choosing a new Pope.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
The conclave requires two-thirds of the cardinals to agree on who the new pope will be. All cardinals under the age of 80 will get to participate in the election. It's significant that Pope Francis himself has appointed about two-thirds of the cardinals who will be participating in the conclave. And how long does this usually take? It's hard to say. It can take days. It can take longer than that.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
But usually it's a process that takes a few days and that is marked by kind of white smoke coming from the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
It's extremely hard to tell. You know, when Pope Francis became pontiff 12 years ago, no one expected he would be the chosen one. So we'll have to wait and see.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
The Vatican said that the Pope had died at 7.35 this morning in his apartment in the Vatican. The death of a Pope is a huge deal for the Catholic Church. Popes serve until they die. So whenever a Pope changes, they can stay in their office for many years, even decades.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
The new pope will be inheriting a church that is a lot more global than the previous church for most of its history. The Vatican, for instance, produced European popes. Pope Francis already marked a break in the past because he was from South America. And I think we'll see that tendency will increase. I think we'll increasingly see an international church
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
We have seen a decline in church attendance in Europe, but other parts of the world have become more important for the Catholic Church in terms of followers. I'm thinking of South America or Africa. So I think the church is evolving. It's transforming. It's going to become less Europe-centric and much more global.
The Journal.
Pope Francis Has Died. What’s Next for the Catholic Church?
But that comes with its own set of challenges because there will be parts of the Catholic world that are more liberal and others that are much more conservative. And, you know, taking care of 1.4 billion faithful will be a challenge for anyone.