The new pope will face many challenges, but one task in particular will be uniquely difficult --- deciding how to engage with the legacy of his predecessor.
On a social level, Pope Francis was extremely active. He constantly called for the welcome and integration of refugees.
POPE FRANCIS
Each government must clearly say, “I can receive this many.” Because only heads of state can say how many they can receive. It is their right. This is true. But migrants should be welcomed, accompanied, promoted and integrated.
The most controversial point was the pastoral approach proposed by Pope Francis.
POPE FRANCIS
The Church does not have doors so that everyone can enter… and here too, we can insist that everyone can enter because this is the Mother's house and a mother always has an open heart for all of her children. Everyone, everyone, everyone, without exclusion.
His message of open doors and welcoming everyone, along with some of his gestures, sparked controversy within the Church itself.
The clearest example of this was his decision to allow the blessing of same-sex couples. While in 2021 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that such blessings were not appropriate, as they could be seen as equivalent to marriage, two years later Pope Francis proposed a form of blessing for these couples that avoids any reference to a wedding.
CARD. VÍCTOR MANUEL FERNÁNDEZ
Prefect, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
There has been a magisterial innovation—an innovation in the way we understand blessings. The Pope wanted to broaden the understanding of blessings to develop its pastoral richness. In other words, it helps us understand that there are blessings that do not confirm, do not sanction, do not consecrate, do not justify anything. They are just a prayer of the minister to express God's help to continue living.
Pope Francis was a pope of eloquent and decisive gestures. The next pope will have to decide how to engage with the complex legacy of his predecessor.
JRB
Trans. CRT
