The April 21 passing of Pope Francis touched not only 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, but millions of people of other faiths who came to admire him for his progressive views during his dozen-year pontificate.
Elected to lead the Catholic Church in 2013 after the sudden abdication of his predecessor Benedict XVI, Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Maria Bergoglio chose his pontifical name to echo the saint of the poor, Francis of Assisi.
Considered controversial by many conservative Catholics for his nontraditional stands on issues like homosexuality, immigration, and the role of women in the church, he quickly became known as the “People’s Pope,” advocating for the poor, the marginalized, and the most vulnerable.
Also among his many and at times contentious reforms was the overhaul of the Vatican’s finances.
With about $6 billion in assets, the church’s private bank, the Institute for the Works of Religion, was founded in 1942 by Pope Pius XII. It has been consistently riddled with scandals, including fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering.
Francis embarked on a massive makeover, axing the lavish salaries of some elite cardinals, improving financial transparency, and tightening regulation. His objective was to cut the Vatican’s hefty public debt, aiming for a zero-deficit during his lifetime.
Francis’s lifestyle reflected that goal. Always frugal, he distanced himself from the Vatican’s opulent tradition, leading an unpretentious life as pontiff.
Forgoing riches and luxuries, including the lavish papal residence in the Vatican and the pontifical summer palace in the Roman hills, he set up home in a modest abode adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica. He relinquished every possession, including his conspicuous salary, reportedly nearly $400,000 a year, donating it to the church.
In this as in much else, Catholics await indications whether his successor will follow his example.
