Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Pope Francis celebrates 12 years as the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics with increasingly positive medical updates four weeks in hospitalization for double pneumonia.
Francis, who was admitted to Rome Hospital on February 14, spent another peaceful night, the Vatican said in his short morning statement on Thursday.
The X -ray of the breast confirmed the improvements, the Vatican said on Wednesday, just two days after doctors said it was no longer in the immediate danger of death. The last medical newsletter said the condition of the 88-year-old Pope remains stable, but has a complex picture, given his overall instability.
After the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, the then Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected a new Pope on March 13 of the same year.
During its 12 years of service, Francis has been a voice for compassion and peace. He reformed the Vatican government and took action against spiritual violence against children. However, some challenges and criticism remain.
Battle against sexual abuse
Dealing with the world's scourge of sexual violence from the clergy And his concealment was one of the biggest challenges for Pope Francis when he took office in 2013.
Traveling in 2018 to Chile turned out to be a turning point. Initially, Francis defended the Chilean bishop against accusations that he was covering the crimes of an adult priest requesting the prosecutors to show evidence of their guilt.
Later, he admitted that he was making “serious mistakes” in this case – the first for Pope. He called out all the bishops of Chile in the Vatican, then they They all filed their resignationS
Later that year, he undressed the Cardinal title from the abuse of American priest Theodore McCarick, and in 2019 he removed his status as a priest. Also in 2019, he held an unprecedented summit, which heard from the victims, where he promised a “entirely battle” against the clerical abuse.
Specific changes followed, from the opening of the Vatican archives to the courts to the fact that it is obligatory to report suspicions of abuse and any attempt to conceal it before the church authorities.
However, activists say he has not done enough. “Structurally, they (the Catholic Church) retain all elements of concealment: lack of transparency, lack of external supervision, lack of compulsory severe sanctions,” An Barrett Doyle campaign told the AFP news agency last year.
Diplomacy
Francis has traveled widely, making 47 trips abroad, which has given a priority to what he calls “periphery”: countries with small or marginalized Catholic communities.
He regularly calls for peace at hot spots such as Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine and encourages dialogue with other religions, especially Islam.
Last November, he called on a probe to determine if Israel is engaged Genocide in the gasS
The son of Italian immigrants in Argentina, Francis categorically defended the rights of migrants, including criticizing the plans of the United States President Donald Trump for mass deportation.
On his first trip outside Rome, Pope Francis visited Lamudusa, where he met with migrants who fled North Africa.
Francis is also a vocal environmental campaign. In his 2015 innovative encyclical “Laudato Si” (praise for you), he urged the world to act quickly to deal with climate change, saying that wealthy countries are most responsible.
Compassion, social justice, reform
Liberal, who loves to be among his flock, Jesuit has tried to build a more open Catholic church, especially to divorce and involve members of LGBTQ.
The approach has angered the traditionalists, more specially his decision for 2023 to resolve Blessing of same -sex couples In some cases. The Vatican was forced to clarify his position after protest in Africa and the United States. A German Cardinal, Gerhard Müller, denied Francis' “doctrinal confusion” in a 2023 book.
From decentralization of power and increasing transparency to the provision of larger roles for people and women, Francis applies the fundamental reforms of the Roman Curia, the central government of the Holy See.
The reforms were consolidated in the constitution in 2022, which reorganized the Vatican or ministries dicasters.
Francis particularly focused on the murky, scandalous finances of the Vatican, creating a special secretariat for the economy in 2014, pressing corruption and intensifying investment control and the Vatican Bankwhich led to the closure of 5000 accounts.
Francis also revolutionized the Synod, a Catholic discussion body, including members of laymen, including women. Since 2021, it has considered the future of the Church, but key decisions, such as allowing women to become deacons, are not due to June this year.
In his institutional reforms, Francis also encounters a strong opposition, with some critics accused him of “tyrannical” behavior.
