Remembering Pope Francis: A shepherd of faith, compassion and reason

Unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis harmonised theology with modern challenges, offering a vision of faith rooted in mercy, dialogue and social action. A preacher of religion, he also walked with science, the poor and persecuted

Heritage
By Pradeep Kaimal
Apr 25, 2025

Pope Francis (1936–2025), who passed away a day after Easter, was the first non-European head of the Catholic Church in over a millennium. His ordainment in 2013, hence, was not just expected to initiate transformation in the Church, then hit by controversies and scandals, but also destined to open up the papacy to greater representation beyond the Occidental. Pope Francis, however, went many steps ahead in establishing a transformative legacy as a pontiff who bridged faith and reason and championed the poor with deep compassion. He also redefined the Church’s mission by embracing science, advocating for economic and environmental justice and responding to global conflicts with unprecedented moral clarity. As the Church moves forward, this reflection honours a shepherd whose intellect, humility and humanity reshaped Catholicism for the contemporary world.

Photos courtesy: The Holy See (via L'Osservatore Romano), Wikipedia

A shepherd of both science and soul, Pope Francis held reason in one hand and the wretched in the other. Guided by compassion and grounded in clarity, he reimagined faith not as a fortress of dogma, but as a bridge in a fractured world. These are the first thoughts that come to mind as I remember Pope Francis—a pope who, in every sense, stood apart.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936, became the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013, making history as the first Jesuit and the first non-European pontiff in over a millennium. His papacy was widely regarded as a turning point in the modern Church due to his emphasis on humility, social justice and reform.

He prioritised simplicity, compassion and direct engagement with marginalised communities while addressing institutional issues like clerical abuse and financial misconduct.

Known for his pastoral approach and openness to dialogue, Francis challenged traditionalist factions by advocating for a more inclusive Church, expressing compassion toward LGBTQ+ individuals and promoting interfaith reconciliation. His encyclicals, such as Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, reflected a commitment to addressing global crises by blending Catholic doctrine with science, social ethics and environmental concern.

While his progressive tone has drawn criticism from conservative quarters, it has also invigorated global conversations on the Church’s relevance in the modern world.

The approach towards ‘creation’ and ‘evolution’

Historically, the Church’s stance toward science oscillated between opposition and cautious acceptance. From the condemnation of Galileo to early scepticism about Darwin’s theory of evolution, the Vatican often viewed scientific discovery as a challenge to theological authority.

However, over the last century, the Church progressively embraced scientific inquiry, culminating in Pope Francis’s open and enthusiastic support.

Francis affirmed the compatibility of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and the Big Bang with Catholic belief. In a 2014 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, he stated, “Evolution in nature is not opposed to the notion of Creation,” adding that God is “not a magician with a magic wand.”

This statement rejected both biblical literalism and creationist interpretations that insist on a six-day creation. For Francis, science did not diminish faith—it deepened it.

Earlier popes paved the way. Pope Pius XII, in Humani Generis (1950), permitted discussion of evolution as a hypothesis, while insisting on divine intervention in the soul’s creation. Pope John Paul II took it further in 1996, declaring evolution to be ‘more than a hypothesis.’ Pope Benedict XVI, while more reserved, acknowledged the legitimacy of scientific inquiry but often emphasised the dangers of relativism.

Francis, however, reframes evolution not as a theological exception but as a mechanism through which divine creativity unfolded, uniting faith and reason in a seamless narrative.

The same applies to the Big Bang, originally proposed by Georges Lemaître, a Catholic priest and physicist. While earlier popes cautiously accepted this theory, Francis presents it as revelatory—a scientific description of the moment of creation.

His embrace of empirical discovery represented a decisive shift from defensiveness to integration, positioning scientific understanding as a means of contemplating God’s handiwork.

In Laudato Si’, he brought science and spirituality into active dialogue. He criticised the ‘technocratic paradigm’ that viewed nature and human life as resources to be exploited. He called for an ‘integral ecology,’ a concept that combines environmental science, social ethics and theology to promote sustainability rooted in reverence for creation.

By tying climate change and biodiversity loss to moral failure, Francis gave scientific evidence theological weight, insisting that faith must confront ecological degradation as a spiritual crisis.

‘Yes, I am a Communist, and so too is Jesus’

Pope Francis never endorsed Marxist ideology, but he acknowledged the insight in Karl Marx’s critique of capitalist inequality. In a 2013 interview, he remarked that “Marx was not a bad man” and noted that many poor people found hope in him.

Similarly, in a November 2022 interview with the Jesuits-run but purportedly left-leaning America magazine, Pope Francis made an extraordinary declaration: “If I See the Gospel in a Sociological Way Only, Yes, I Am a Communist, and So Too Is Jesus.”

Despite such declarations, however, he firmly rejected Marxism’s materialist worldview, class-based determinism and revolutionary violence. Instead, he interpreted Marx’s concern for the poor through a Christian lens.

This balanced stance reflected Francis’s broader critique of economic systems.

In Evangelii Gaudium, he condemned the “idolatry of money” and declared that “this economy kills.” These words echoed Marxist critiques but were grounded in Catholic Social Teaching (CST), which dated back to Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (1891). Leo rejected socialism but affirmed workers’ rights, calling for ethical labour practices and just wages.

Pope Pius XI continued this in Quadragesimo Anno (1931), criticising both ‘ruthless capitalism’ and ‘atheistic socialism.’

Francis stood in this tradition but intensified the urgency. He critiqued global financial systems, tax evasion, labour exploitation and corporate indifference. He denounced “the globalisation of indifference” and called for an economy that prioritises human dignity over profit.

His proposals included global regulatory norms, debt relief for impoverished nations and support for cooperative economic models. He further advocated a rethinking of wealth distribution, linking it to climate responsibility and communal well-being.

While earlier popes focused on doctrinal refutations of socialism, Francis was more pastoral. He emphasised structural sin and systemic injustice, aligning with elements of liberation theology—particularly its preferential option for the poor—while rejecting its Marxist underpinnings.

His approach blended CST with a moral vision informed by lived experience in Latin America, offering a theological critique of capitalism that resonates globally.

Science and faith: A new harmony

Francis presented science and religion not as rival authorities but as complementary quests for truth. He drew from the Catholic tradition of figures like Saint Albert the Great and Georges Lemaître, framing scientific inquiry as a sacred act. In his theology, science revealed the mechanisms of creation, while faith interprets its meaning.

In Laudato Si,’ he called for “intense dialogue between science and religion,” asserting that both can enrich our understanding of existence. He warned against two extremes: religious fundamentalism that denies scientific facts and technocratic reductionism that dismisses ethical values.

Instead, he advocated a middle path, where scientific discovery was guided by spiritual wisdom.

This vision is evident in his emphasis on ecological ethics. He treated climate science as theological material, integrating data on biodiversity loss, pollution and global warming into a framework of moral responsibility. He also extended this model to social sciences in Fratelli Tutti, advocating for interdisciplinary responses to global inequality and social exclusion.

Unlike past popes who accepted science within cautious theological boundaries, Francis normalised it as an ally of faith. His rejection of intelligent design and biblical literalism marks a definitive break from defensiveness.

Francis urged Catholics to embrace scientific progress not as a threat to belief but as a revelation of God’s ongoing creation. This harmonisation elevates empirical study into an act of spiritual reverence.

On war, compassion and global injustice

Pope Francis redefined the papal response to global conflict with extraordinary empathy and immediacy. He spoke out against wars in Ukraine, Syria and Gaza, referring to victims not as collateral damage but as “crucified” communities.

He described the modern world as living through a “piecemeal Third World War,” where localised violence cumulatively creates global instability.

His gestures spoke as powerfully as his words. He welcomed Muslim refugees, washed the feet of asylum seekers and brought refugee families back from Lesbos to Rome. These acts turned theology into action, emphasising that compassion is not optional—it is the heart of Christian discipleship.

Unlike earlier popes who tended toward diplomatic neutrality, Francis named perpetrators and called for moral accountability. He denounced the arms trade, criticised nationalism and called on governments to prioritise peacebuilding over militarisation.

He also encouraged the Church to be a sanctuary for the displaced, stating that welcoming refugees is “not optional but a gospel command.” He called the suffering of Palestinians a “martyrdom,” denounced the persecution of Rohingya Muslims as “a moral outrage,” and referred to Syrian war victims as “masters of suffering who still hope.”

These interventions marked a clear departure from past papacies that emphasised abstract principles of peace without engaging directly in geopolitical crises. Francis’s approach blended prophetic denunciation with tangible support—urging Vatican diplomacy, Caritas aid networks, and parish communities to act as global mediators and protectors of human dignity.

Capitalism, inequality and economic extremes

Francis’s critique of capitalism went beyond ethical concern—it challenged the spiritual underpinnings of economic injustice. In Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, he condemned consumerism, environmental exploitation and financial speculation.

He argued that these systems commodify life and destroyed communities.

Earlier popes like John Paul II acknowledged capitalism’s capacity to create wealth when properly regulated. Francis, however, emphasised its failures: rising inequality, ecological destruction and moral apathy. He warned that an economy without ethics becomes a machine that dehumanises.

His solutions included an “economy of care,” built on solidarity, subsidiarity and sustainability. He called for universal access to resources, protection of indigenous lands and investment in local economies. He advocated degrowth economics and alternative development models rooted in human dignity and environmental balance.

His economic theology, thus, integrated CST with global activism, positioning the Church as both critic and conscience of modern capitalism.

He reinterpreted the Church’s doctrine of the universal destination of goods to include climate and natural resources, argued that oceans, forests and the atmosphere belong to all. This innovative reading reflected his commitment to distributive justice not only across societies but between generations.

The papal tradition and its evolution

Francis’s papacy marked a departure in tone, style and substance. Where Benedict XVI emphasised doctrinal precision, Francis favoured relational authenticity. His papacy was marked by informal speech, pastoral outreach and symbolic acts that break with protocol. He decentralised authority through synodality and challenged hierarchical rigidity.

He reformed annulment procedures, opened doors to LGBTQ+ inclusion, and declared the death penalty “inadmissible.” These actions reflected not merely doctrinal change but a reorientation of pastoral priorities. His approach embodied the Jesuit ideal of discernment—contextual, dialogical and open to the Spirit.

In science, he moved beyond guarded acceptance to active embrace. In economics, he shifted from moderation to prophetic critique. In diplomacy, he replaced neutrality with advocacy. These shifts provoked a backlash from traditionalists but also opened new pathways for the Church’s mission.

What distinguished Francis was his willingness to let lived reality inform doctrine without compromising core truths. While maintaining the essence of Catholic teaching, he interpreted it through the lens of mercy, context and encounter. His theological style was less about abstract systems and more about transformative experience.

The legacy of Pope Francis

Pope Francis reshaped the Catholic Church’s identity in the modern world. He moved the institution from a position of caution to one of courageous engagement. By integrating science, economics and social justice into theology, he created a framework that speaks to contemporary crises.

His legacy was one of transformation through mercy. He made the Church a “field hospital,” a place for healing rather than judgment. He showed that faith need not fear modernity but can dialogue with it, enrich it and humanise it.

Now that his voice is no longer with us, the question remains: will his vision endure? Will the Church continue to walk the bridge he built — between tradition and transformation, faith and reason, justice and mercy? One thing is certain: his papacy has already set a precedent: that the Church can be both ancient and new, rooted in tradition yet responsive to history.

In Pope Francis, the world saw a shepherd who led not only with doctrine but with a heart attuned to both the sufferings and the wonders of creation. His model of leadership blended humility with intellectual vigour, compassion with truth and tradition with transformation.