Humility. Inclusion. Spunk. The people’s pope.

Those are some of the words describing the late Pope Francis. 

Francis’ passing following Easter Sunday surprised many across the globe. The pope seemed frail during an Easter appearance at the St. Peter’s Basilica’s balcony. He refused to allow his health from greeting parishioners around St. Peter’s Square via the “Popemobile.” As it turned out, the experience allowed him a final opportunity to be with a people he loved before entering the Lord’s house on April 21. The archbishop of New York remarked the timing of his death was perfectly “choregraphed.” 

Pope Francis’ exemplified several characteristics:

  • An embrace of the lower, middle classes, and the marginalized.
  • A focus on commonalities instead of differences between religious and social groups.
  • Inclusiveness.
  • An evolutionary approach towards the church’s reforms.

And

  • A genuine love of people.

Francis advocated for the poor and marginalized. He not only preached it, but lived it. He worked among Buenos Aires slums as a priest and archbishop before becoming pope. He shunned the papacy’s trappings. He resided in a Vatican guest house called the Casa Santa Marta instead of the pope’s traditional residence in the Apostolic Palace. He used a smaller car when traveling rather than the more luxurious vehicle popes traditionally use. 

It would have been understandable if he took advantage of those amenities. He chose against it, apparently uncomfortable in those environments. He preferred a lifestyle similar to those he served.

Another notable aspect of Francis’ life was his reconciliation effort with other faiths. Francis advocated interfaith dialogue. He once remarked that “all religions are paths to God.” He visited Islamic and Jewish holy sites in Iraq and Jerusalem. Francis understood the world’s major religions shared more theological commonalities than differences.

Francis’ inclusivity can not be understated. He appointed cardinals from countries lacking such a Catholic official previously. These included Haiti, Laos and Rwanda, for instance. He also traveled to areas which had not received a papal visit before, such as Mongolia, North Macedonia, South Sudan, Iraq, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Myanmar. 

He was highly popular among Catholics worldwide. Two notable examples are in the Philippines and Brazil. At least 8 million parishioners participated in those events.  Francis was also the only pope to give an address before a joint-session of the U.S. Congress in 2015.

One of the pope’s pursuits entailed reforming the Vatican’s bureaucracy, or Curia. The effort achieved partial success. Francis no doubt realized it is a long-term process. 

The pope held ambiguous views regarding women. He elevated women to 20 key leadership positions within the Vatican hierarchy. But he opposed ordaining women as deacons and priests. 

He reached out to the LGBTQ community. One of Francis’ most notable quotes is, “If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them?” It spoke volumes for the direction Francis aspired for the church.

Francis’ love of people is witnessed via various instances. He occasionally extended visits with audiences. A German friend of mine experienced this trait. She and her colleagues had a papal audience and as the meeting’s conclusion approached, an aide informed him lunch was next. He postponed it. The pope remained with my friend and her colleagues to finish their conversation. Similar examples have been reported.

He also had no objections about participating in others’ cultural activities. If it was wearing a red clown nose at a charity event, a sombrero in Mexico, or donning a Japanese anime jacket he was given, Francis had an authentic affection and interest in people and cultures. 

The question now, of course, is what next? 

The cardinals charged with electing the next pope will meet in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel for Conclave, the papal election. Several factors will influence the event. 

Africa, Asia, and Central and South America have replaced Europe as Catholicism’s demographic center of gravity. Pope Francis selected 80% of the cardinals who will vote in the Conclave. Popes Benedict and John Paul II chose the other 20%.

The next pontiff will need to address a variety of issues. These include the church’s unresolved sexual abuse scandals; the status of women and the common man within the Vatican’s decision-making apparatus; the church’s relationship with the LGBTQ community; and the extent the Holy See will continue pursuing interfaith dialogue with other religious communities, most notably Muslims, Jews and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. 

The 267th pope will also need to determine how the Vatican will be involved in international affairs and to what extent. 

All of these factors will influence the cardinals’ vote during Conclave. The next Pope will probably surprise many Catholics, church analysts and the international community. There is a possibility the upcoming Conclave will produce a Pontiff from the same mold as Pope Francis — an unknown, unanticipated and/or overlooked cardinal from outside Europe. (I cannot see an American pope emerging for at least two or three generations). He will also probably share many of Francis’ views.

Whoever is elected pope will have some very big shoes to fill. Pope Francis’ left a legacy that will permeate the Sistine Chapel during the Conclave’s deliberations. The next pope certainly will have a daunting challenge ahead for the church and for the international community at large.

Matthew Kennedy is a doctoral candidate in politics and international studies at the University of Warwick in Great Britain.