when this soft-spoken man emerged onto the balcony at St Peters with a humble bow to the faithful and praying the Our Father few expected a pope who would so radically transform the face of the papacy the spirit of Catholics around the world The first Latin American pope Jorge Mario Burggalio He grew up in Buenosarees Argentina the son of an Italian immigrant Despite an early setback as a teenager an infection that claimed part of his lung this was a young man full of life with a passion for philosophy wine and dancing the tango But ultimately Burggalio
couldn't resist the call from above becoming a priest at 32 rising through the church hierarchy while shunning its trappings As a cardinal he sold off the church mansion cooked his own meals and rode the subway while helping the poor So it only seemed fitting that the new pope would take his name from St Francis of Aisi who dedicated his life to caring for the poor Catholics now also had their first Jesuit pope an order of priests devoted to service for the greater glory of God Gone were the fancy robes and designer shoes This pope carried
his own bags paid his own bills and drove a beatup car He chose a modest guest house over the lavish papal apartment And Pope Francis brought change from the start alienating some Catholics but inspiring more Before creating the world God loved because God is love Instead of washing the feet of fellow priests on Holy Thursday in an ancient ritual Francis chose juvenile prisoners women and Muslims When ordinary Catholics wrote him letters of despair he telephoned them personally And this pope was determined to reach out often wing into the crowds without the bulletproof Pope mobile A
headache for the Vatican security but a breath of fresh air for the faithful His extraordinary connection glimpsed during scenes like this in Rio de Janeiro A rockstar welcome Millions flocking to mass on Copa Cababana Beach This thoroughly modern pope with a pension for social media and selfies did his best to publicly downplay the hero worship famously parodyied in images like this one Still there was no denying this pope was different For many Catholics the message was long overdue Shift focus from the hot button issues like abortion gay marriage contraception towards a less judgmental more inclusive
church This seismic shift in tone however brought no change in doctrine Francis called for a larger role for women in the church At the same time he reaffirmed church opposition to women priests Francis wasn't leading a revolution but he was bringing reform speaking out against greed rooting out corruption at the Vatican bank When Germany's so-called bishop of bling was exposed for his extravagant home renovations Francis fired him He took on the mafia in their own backyard telling them they had exccommunicated themselves from the church And Francis would tackle some of the thornier problems too He
made incremental steps to express compassion for the LGBTQ community while holding fast to the church's strict teachings In a stunning declaration Pope Francis said that laws criminalizing homosexuality are quote unjust We are all children of God He said "And God loves us as we are and for the strength that each one of us has to fight for our dignity." Being homosexual is not a crime It's not a crime Yes but it's a sin But first let's distinguish sin from crime but it is also a sin to lack charity with one another And Francis went on
to suggest that being gay is natural a view unimaginable from any previous pope Every man and woman must have a window in their life where they can turn their hope and where they can see the dignity of God Francis said And being homosexual isn't a crime It's a human condition Pope Francis would go on to permit priests to bless same-sex couples in a new papal rule a seismic change in Vatican policy At the Vatican he met privately with victims of sex abuse by the clergy He angered Jews on his trip to the Holy Land by
adding a visit to Israel's barrier wall a gesture of solidarity with Palestinians Francis reinforced a message of church unity when he canonized the more liberal Pope John the 23rd along with the more conservative Pope John Paul II And joining him at the altar his predecessor former Pope Benedict the 16th Nearly a million Catholics crowded St Peter's Square in jubilation But for all the papal pageantry Francis will be remembered most for his disarming humility and humor his warmth with children his compassion for the poor and the sick I would ask each of you whatever your capacity
to care one another be close to one another respect one another I bless each one of you from my heart
