Schools Relations with: Pope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; Spanish: Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio;[b] 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State.

[10] In international diplomacy, Francis has criticized the rise of right-wing populism, called for the decriminalization of homosexuality (though still considering same-sex acts as sinful),[11] helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, negotiated a deal with China to define how much influence the Communist Party has in appointing Chinese bishops, and has supported the cause of refugees during the European and Central American migrant crises.

[51] He then served at San Miguel for six years until 1986[17] when, at the discretion of Jesuit superior-general Peter Hans Kolvenbach, he was replaced by someone more in tune with the worldwide trend in the Society of Jesus toward emphasizing social justice rather than his emphasis on popular religiosity and direct pastoral work.

Later that year, when Cardinal Edward Egan returned to New York following the September 11 attacks, Bergoglio replaced him as relator (recording secretary) in the Synod of Bishops,[83] and, according to the Catholic Herald, created "a favourable impression as a man open to communion and dialogue".

[118] Historian Uki Goñi pointed that, during early 1976, the military junta still had a good image among society, and that the scale of the political repression was not known until much later; Bergoglio would have had little reason to suspect that the detention of Yorio and Jalics could end up in their deaths.

He has been altering the culture of the clergy, steering away from what he has named as "clericalism" (which dwells on priestly status and authority) and toward an ethic of service (Francis says the church's shepherds must have the "smell of the sheep", always staying close to the People of God).

[172][173][174] He explained that, as it was becoming clear during the conclave voting that he would be elected the new bishop of Rome, the Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes had embraced him and whispered, "Don't forget the poor", which made Bergoglio think of the saint.

[188] In March 2013, 21 British Catholic peers and members of Parliament from all parties asked Francis to allow married men in Great Britain to be ordained as priests, keeping celibacy as the rule for bishops.

The New York Times reported that the Vatican had formed the opinion in 2012 that the sisters' group had some feminist influences, focused too much on ending social and economic injustice and not enough on stopping abortion, and permitted speakers at its meetings who questioned church doctrine.

[210] In a column he wrote for the Vatican's semi-official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, the then-Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and American cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, who has a long-standing reputation as one of the church's most vocal conservative hard-liners, said that Francis opposed both abortion and gay marriage.

[277] He raised to the cardinalate Chibly Langlois from Haiti and Philippe Nakellentuba Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso (in 2014),[274] Charles Maung Bo of Myanmar and Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga (in 2015),[278] Patrick D'Rozario from Bangladesh and Dieudonné Nzapalainga from the Central African Republic (in 2018).

On 20 March 2020, Francis asked the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) to create a Vatican COVID-19 Commission to express the church's concern for the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and propose responses to the potential socio-economic challenges deriving from it.

[317] In 2010, then-Cardinal Bergoglio commissioned a study which concluded that Father Julio César Grassi, a priest convicted of child sexual abuse, was innocent, that his victims were lying, and that the case against him never should have gone to trial.

[319] In unscripted remarks to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in September 2017, Francis admitted that he mishandled the Inzoli case, saying that as a new pope, "I did not understand these things well and chose the more benevolent of the two sentences but after two years the priest had a relapse.

[323] The report concluded that Francis, before 2017, "had heard only that there had been allegations and rumors related to immoral conduct with adults occurring prior to McCarrick's appointment to Washington" and continued the approach of his predecessors John Paul and Benedict.

[333] The case of Slovenian priest and artist Marko Rupnik, accused of psychological, spiritual, and sexual abuse against multiple women, including nuns, has drawn significant controversy due to the Vatican’s handling of the allegations.

[334] Criticism intensified after it was revealed that artwork by Rupnik remains in use by the Vatican, including in Pope Francis’ personal residence, despite calls from Cardinal Seán O’Malley, head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, for its removal.

[336][337]>[338] In January 2025, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández confirmed the DDF had concluded its process of gathering information and was working to establish an independent tribunal to move forward with judicial proceedings.

[347][348] In Evangelii gaudium, Francis revealed what would be the emphases of his pontificate: a missionary impulse among all Catholics, sharing the faith more actively, avoiding worldliness by more visibly living the gospel of God's mercy, and helping the poor and working for social justice.

Three months later, Francis recognized Shen Bin's appointment; the Vatican secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, said that the pope had done so "remedy the canonical irregularity created in Shanghai, in view of the greater good of the diocese and the fruitful exercise of the bishop's pastoral ministry.

"[435] Four cardinals (Raymond Leo Burke, Carlo Caffarra, Walter Brandmüller, and Joachim Meisner) formally asked Francis for clarifications, particularly on the issue of giving communion to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.

[446] The Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together is a joint statement signed by Francis and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, on 4 February 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

[452] In July 2021, Francis issued, motu proprio, the apostolic letter titled Traditionis custodes, which reversed the decision of his immediate predecessor Benedict XVI in Summorum Pontificum and imposed new restrictions on the use of the Traditional Latin Mass.

[453][454] Traditionis custodes, which Pope Francis published and came into immediate effect on 16 July, has been criticized by prelates such as Cardinals Raymond Burke, Gerhard Müller, and Joseph Zen, as well as many lay faithful who attend the traditional Latin Mass.

[458] Fiducia supplicans sparked considerable controversy and criticism among Catholics, including from several conservative commentators, clerical congregations, and high-profile cardinals, bishops, priests, and lay people.

The headline in the Los Angeles Times on 19 December was "Bridge to Cuba via Vatican" with the further lead "In a rare and crucial role, Francis helped keep U.S. talks with Havana on track and guided final deal.

[488][489] In April 2016, Francis, along with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Ieronimos II of Athens, visited the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos in order to call the attention of the world to the 2015 European migrant crisis.

[500][513] In April 2022, a delegation of Ukrainian officials, including Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov and MP Maria Mezentseva, attended the Vatican Easter vigil with Francis, who said he was praying for an end to the "darkness of war" and "all the suffering."

[524] In March 2021, Francis held a historic meeting with Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and visited Ur, a site traditionally identified as the birthplace of the prophet Abraham.

[542] During Francis's 2015 trip to Cuba, American-based AP and British-based Reuters highlighted the religious aspect of the pope's journey while Prensa Latina, the Cuban state media agency, depicted it as a diplomatic visit.