Pope Francis The Jesuit Who Led With A Franciscan Heart

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As bells toll over St Peter’s Square, the world bids farewell to Pope Francis, a man who redefined the papacy not through power, but through presence.
Known as the “People’s Pope”, Francis leaves behind a Catholic Church that may remain divided over his reforms, but largely united in recognising the rare humanity that marked his pontificate.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936, Francis was the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit to hold the office, and the first non-European pope in over a millennium.
But it was not these firsts that defined him - it was his lastingly simple approach to a deeply complex role.
ADSFrom the moment he stepped onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on March 13, 2013, wearing only a plain white cassock and asking the crowd for their blessing before offering his own, it was clear the papacy had taken a different turn.
Throughout his years at the helm of the Catholic Church, Francis placed mercy at the heart of everything. His now-famous refrain - “Who am I to judge?” - uttered in 2013 in response to a question about gay priests, symbolised a shift from moral absolutism to pastoral care.
He insisted on a church that was “a field hospital for the wounded”, advocating for openness, inclusion, and a return to the Gospel’s core message of love, especially for the marginalised.
Under his leadership, the church took stronger stances on climate change, economic inequality, the plight of refugees, and interfaith dialogue.
Francis’s landmark encyclical Laudato Si’ in 2015 called for ecological conversion and challenged both governments and corporations to act against environmental degradation.
His 2019 “Document on Human Fraternity”, co-signed with Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi, broke historical ground in Catholic-Muslim relations.
A testament to humility
Unlike many of his predecessors, Francis chose not to reside in the Apostolic Palace, but in the Vatican guesthouse, Casa Santa Marta.
He cooked his own meals when possible, carried his own bag on trips, and often made personal phone calls to people who wrote to him.
These acts, while modest in appearance, were deeply radical in a church often viewed as remote and hierarchical.
Critics from within the church questioned his approach, particularly his openness to dialogue on sensitive topics such as the role of women, the divorced and remarried, LGBTQ+ Catholics, and synodality - his push for a more collaborative model of church governance. But Francis remained undeterred.
“I see the church as a mother,” he once said. “She must walk with her children, not rule over them from above.”
ADSHe was a pope of gestures: kissing the feet of South Sudanese leaders in a plea for peace; embracing the disfigured; visiting prisons and washing the feet of inmates, including Muslims and women.
These were not merely symbolic - they were deliberate acts to dismantle walls between the church and the world.
In many ways, Francis brought the papacy back to the people. He lowered its walls without lowering its ideals, shifting the emphasis from dogma to dialogue, from judgment to journeying together.
His legacy may not be measured in doctrinal proclamations or sweeping reforms, but in the quiet revolution of tone, tenderness, and trust he inspired.
In an era of growing polarisation, Francis reminded the Catholic Church - and the world - that leadership begins with listening. As he once said, “The world tells us to seek success, power and money; God tells us to seek humility, service, and love.”
His papacy echoed across faiths of Asia
Pope Francis’ consistent emphasis on interfaith dialogue among Asian cultures was also warmly received in Malaysia, where the majority Muslim population coexists alongside significant Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and indigenous communities.
While the Catholic Church is a minority faith in the country, the Pope’s message of mercy, interfaith cooperation, and environmental stewardship reached across religious and cultural divides, touching the hearts of Malaysians from all walks of life.
His consistent calls for mutual respect and understanding between faiths found a receptive audience among Malaysia’s religious leaders.
Just last month, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Julian Leow, hosted nine representatives from the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisations (Mapim) at his residence in Bukit Nanas.
The gathering was held to thank Mapim for their prayers and well wishes for Pope Francis, who was hospitalised at the time, and to strengthen interfaith solidarity.
Mapim had earlier sent a letter to the prelate expressing their prayers for the pope’s recovery and gratitude for his vocal support of the Palestinian people.
Both the archbishop and the Mapim representatives reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting harmony in Malaysia and beyond.
The meeting concluded with a mutual agreement to strengthen collaboration between Mapim and the church in promoting humanitarian causes and interfaith solidarity.
Pope Francis has now gone home to the God he served without pretence. And the people he loved - those in pews and prisons, palaces and peripheries - are left with the memory of a pontiff who walked with them, not above them.
In his absence, one question lingers: Can the church continue walking in his footsteps? Only time will tell.
Yet, the footprints remain - the unmistakable mark of Francis. Will his successor follow the well-trodden path he left behind?
If the late pontiff’s life could be summed up in four words, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said it best, quoting William Shakespeare: “This was a man.”
A gentle life, so harmoniously lived, that even nature herself would rise in tribute. - Mkini
JOSEPH MASILAMANY is a veteran Borneo-based journalist who writes on a variety of subjects including religion, culture, and interfaith understanding.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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