His death marks the end of a pontificate that represented a turning point in the modern Catholic Church.

In an exclusive interview with teleSUR, religion sociologist Bernardo Barranco emphasized that Pope Francis succeeded in revitalizing the progressive trends that the Second Vatican Council had outlined in Catholic Church doctrine.

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“Very firmly and strongly, Francis recovered the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, which had been put to sleep by John Paul II and Benedict XVI, whose pontificates corresponded to a different logic,” he said.

While his predecessors responded to specific contexts such as the Cold War and the European identity crisis, “Francis recovered a certain joy in living the faith,” the sociologist added, highlighting that one of Francis’s greatest achievements was introducing innovative topics into the Church’s agenda.

“The essential point is that Pope Francis revives the Church’s spirit and introduces new issues onto the agenda,” Barranco said, noting that one of Francis’s main contributions was fostering interreligious dialogue during “a very dramatic moment” for relations between different faiths.

The Argentine-born Pontiff promoted significant openings, setting himself apart from Benedict XVI, who heavily emphasized the Church’s moral agenda, focusing on topics such as women, family, and abortion from a condemnatory perspective.

“Francis made very important gestures, such as opening the issue of women at the Synod or allowing a woman to currently manage the Vatican’s finances,” the sociologist underlined.

However, Francis’s pontificate was not free from controversies and internal resistance. Barranco revealed that there were “religious clubs that prayed for God to take Pope Francis away as soon as possible,” highlighting the level of tension with conservative sectors within the Church.

The encyclical “Laudato Si” on integral ecology particularly provoked backlash among powerful economic interests. “It was sabotaged… major petrochemical companies and world magnates criticized the approach of this wonderful encyclical,” Barranco said.

“Pope Francis’s stance in favor of migrants was also very uncomfortable for governments, especially in Europe, a continent that feels deeply threatened in its identity,” the religion sociologist added, mentioning that Francis’s relationship with Donald Trump exemplifies his clashes with conservative political leaders.

“The issue with Donald Trump dates back to the campaign for his first presidential term,” Barranco recalled, citing the famous papal statement that “true Christians do not build walls, they build bridges.”

This tension persisted until the final days of Francis’s pontificate: “One of his last acts was writing a letter against war, urging the world to apply greater pressure to stop the aggressions carried out by Donald Trump’s administration against migrants during this final period.”

According to the sociologist, Trump had expressed his intention to “lobby for a pope who would not be as uncomfortable as Francis,” a statement that reflects the political impact of Francis’s leadership.

Even though Francis appointed more than 80% of the cardinal-electors who will choose his successor, Barranco warned that this does not guarantee the continuity of his legacy.

“Pope Francis did not appoint them with a long-term political criterion. This differentiates him from Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who practically appointed people very aligned with their religious ideology,” the sociologist said, recalling that “at the conclave, conservatives are fewer in number but they are very powerful figures.”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: teleSUR

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