Pope Francis - his legacy

                   

12 years ago, when he appeared at the balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica, the two qualities that came out of Pope Francis’ first appearance were silence and simplicity. He asked the thousands of people gathered at St Peter’s square to silently bow their heads in prayer and then bless him, before he returned the favor. One could hear a pin drop in those 20 seconds of silence. Obviously his humility and simplicity were all over his personality. His Papacy was definitely different, as he became to be known as the Pope of the poor and the underprivileged. Pope Francis had the trait of all his previous predecessors. He had the seriousness and decisiveness of Pius XII, the affability and down-earthedness of John XXIII, the ecumenical perspective of Paul VI, the pastoral humility of John Paul I, the charm and attractiveness of John Paul II and the theological knowledge of Benedict XVI. Many details about his early life started coming out a few days after his election in March 2013. He reportedly had a girlfriend, Amalia whom he asked to marry when he was 12. His only surviving sibling is a sister, Maria Elena. He loves to dance the Tango and is a fan of Buenos Aires’ San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer team. He’s near to the people; he’d always taken the subway to go to these poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, lived in a  simple apartment and cooked meals for himself..

Family photo: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, second from left in back row, poses for a picture with his family at their home. Top row from left to right, his brother Alberto Horacio, Fr Jorge, his brother Oscar Adrian and his sister Marta Regina. Bottom row from left to right, his sister Maria Elena, his mother Regina Maria Sivori and his father Mario Jose Bergoglio.

He was also the first Jesuit pope and the first to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi, the Italian poveretto who in the 13th century founded a "back to the basics" movement within Christianity: ignoring the church's late medieval wealth and influence in favor of caring for those in need, and taking care of the environment. The Argentine pope clearly drew inspiration from his chosen Italian namesake. Early actions from the new leader of the Catholic Church included returning to the hotel he had booked for the conclave of cardinals to pay his bill, riding the bus with fellow Cardinals, instead of a white limousine waiting for him. And turning his back on the Vatican’s opulent Apostolic Palace for a room at the motel Casa Sancta Marta, where he has lived ever since, celebrating daily Mass in a small chapel and even waiting on line to have breakfast. His early years as pontiff surprised everyone when he washed drug addicts’ feet, women prisoners and unwed mothers while nursing their babies.