What Pope Francis will be remembered for
The pared-back funeral ceremony will be in keeping with the general tone of his 12-year papacy.
Mourners the world over are paying tribute today to the late Pope Francis after his symbolic death on Easter Monday.
The Vatican confirmed this morning that a funeral for the 88-year-old pontiff - who died of a stroke followed by cardiocirculatory collapse - will be held outside St Peter's Basilica church on Saturday.
While religious figures and state leaders - Keir Starmer included - will flock to Rome for his funeral, they can expect a relatively humble affair: Francis left clear instructions for a pared back ceremony, requesting, for instance, a tomb "without ornamentation".
Meaning the funeral will be in keeping with the tone of his 12-year papacy more generally. That the late pontiff came to be known for favouring simplicity over pomp is reflected in his very name - chosen in honour of Francis of Assisi, the Italian saint who championed the cause of the poor and renounced a life of luxury.
While his predecessors resided in a plush apostolic apartment waited on by devoted nuns, Francis chose to live in a fairly basic guesthouse in Santa Marta and eat in a self-service cafeteria. He also drove himself around Rome in a little Fiat.
Francis was born in Argentina in 1936, as Jorge Bergoglio, to Italian immigrants. Back in his home country, seven days of national mourning have been declared and tearful mourners have gathered outside the cathedral in Buenos Aires today, with the city’s homeless amongst those paying their respects. During his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he is well remembered for his work reaching out to those on the margins, visiting soup kitchens and prisons.
That’s not to say he doesn’t have critics in his home country, despite the initial pride felt by most Argentines following the news that a fellow countryman would be the first Latin American pope.
There, as elsewhere, he has drawn criticism from conservatives for being too closely aligned with social justice causes and left-wing politics. Some Argentinian critics also say he failed to do enough to oppose the country's brutal military dictatorship in the 1970s-80s - or to acknowledge the Church’s complicity in it. Argentina’s current president, radical libertarian Javier Milei, has previously lambasted the Pope for his “affinity with murderous communists”, even going so far as to label him "the representation of evil on Earth".
Milei - who confirmed he will attend the Pope’s funeral - struck a decidedly different tone on Monday, saying: "Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know [Francis] in his goodness and wisdom was a true honor for me”.
Francis was undoubtedly a reformer, who steered the Catholic Church into uncharted territory. Though his label as “the progressive pope” has opened him up to criticism from both ends: while he enraged more conservative catholics by undermining historical traditions they held sacred, some reformists were left ultimately disappointed that he had not ushered in more profound change.
Pope Francis roundly condemned countries that consider homosexuality a crime and talked of divorce being sometimes "morally necessary", citing cases of domestic abuse. He drew fury from some conservatives for allowing divorced catholics to receive communion and he was denounced as a “servant of Satan” by Carlo Viganò, a former Vatican diplomat, for allowing the blessing of same-sex marriages.
His outreach to those from other religions was also deemed inappropriate by Catholic traditionalists, for instance his visit to a centre for asylum seekers outside Rome in spring 2016 in which he washed and kissed the feet of refugees that included Muslims, Hindus and Coptic Christians.
At the other end of the spectrum, some say he could have gone further to encourage change in Church teaching. Indeed, while the Pope demonstrated compassion for “imperfect Catholics”, homosexual “acts” remain a sin in catholicism and - despite him encouraging parishes around the world to find more leadership roles for women - he remained firm in his belief that women should not be priests.
What now?
Once Francis is buried, cardinals will be summoned to Rome and the ritual known as the conclave to choose the next Pope will commence. Meaning speculation is already swirling over who could replace him.
Some have expressed excitement at the possibility of the first African pope in modern history, with three cardinals from Ghana and Guinea and the DRC in the running.
Others predict a pendulum swing effect, in which anger at the late Pope’s progressivism offers a boost to a highly conservative “anti-Francis” candidate.
Adam Boulton’s recent piece for Reaction on Conclave has more on possible contenders.
Though, ultimately, predicting the outcome of this highly secretive papal ritual is a fool’s game. After all, during the last conclave in 2013, very few predicted that an Argentinian man named Jorge Mario Bergoglio would be elected as Pope Francis.
Caitlin Allen
Deputy Editor
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