VATICAN CITY, April 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution. He was 88, and had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.
"Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican's TV channel.
"At 7:35 this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father."
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on March 13, 2013, surprising many Church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
He sought to project simplicity into the grand role and never took possession of the ornate papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors, saying he preferred to live in a community setting for his "psychological health".
He inherited a Church that was under attack over a child sex abuse scandal and torn by infighting in the Vatican bureaucracy, and was elected with a clear mandate to restore order.
But as his papacy progressed, he faced fierce criticism from conservatives, who accused him of trashing cherished traditions. He also drew the ire of progressives, who felt he should have done much more to reshape the 2,000-year-old Church.
While he struggled with internal dissent, Francis became a global superstar, drawing huge crowds on his many foreign travels as he tirelessly promoted interfaith dialogue and peace, taking the side of the marginalised, such as migrants.
Unique in modern times, there were two men wearing white in the Vatican for much of Francis' rule, with his predecessor Benedict opting to continue to live in the Holy See after his shock resignation in 2013 had opened the way for a new pontiff.
Benedict, a hero of the conservative cause, died in December 2022, finally leaving Francis alone on the papal stage.
Francis appointed nearly 80% of the cardinal electors who will choose the next pope correct as of February 2025, increasing the possibility that his successor will continue his progressive policies, despite the strong pushback from traditionalists.
Hi. I did not mean that all "true" Christians are Catholics or whatever someone might have interpreted. I do think that attacking the entire Catholic Church instead of attacking just Catholic theocrats is analogous to attacking Christianity instead of just Christian theocrats.
But I still believe it can continue to exist as the Catholic Church but be prevented from messing with secular politics. I am not sure that was your point, but you seem to think that the Catholic Church is inherently a "political" (secular politics) arm of Christianity. That is not my view. Let's not litigate this specific claim (not the focus of this forum), I just want to clarify that is not my view.
This is what I was objecting to. I fail to see how attacking the Catholic Church is an affront to every Christian, especially when some comrades on this forum are Christian and share these critiques too.
When I said “the Catholic Church is not Christianity as a whole” I mean that bashing the Church for the reactionary stuff it does or says is not analogous to bashing Christianity in general. When the Pope gets called out by us for saying something like “gender ideology is the most dangerous thing in society”, that doesn’t mean EVERY Christian holds that view or should be associated with what the Pope says (unless they are in the Church themselves, then they should be held accountable).
Also, can you define “Christian theocrat” for me? I’m having a hard time seeing how that isn’t any different to the Catholic Church (which is LITERALLY a theocratic institution).
No, I do not see the Catholic Church as “secular”, it is by its nature a theocratic organization. The “political” part comes from the fact that it wields power in the state (through the Vatican, but also historically through governments that pledge allegiance to the Church) to enact its theocratic ideas and policies on the masses. To give modern comparisons, it is comparable to the clerics who hold power in the Islamic Republic of Iran, or the British Monarch being the figurehead of the Church of England.
Do I believe that religious organizations can be prevented from interfering in secular politics? Yes, as long as they don’t gain power. China is a good example of a ML state that has prevented this while still allowing people to congregate in religious orgs by making sure they are all approved and regulated by the Communist Party.