Five years ago Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. In so many ways, Francis has been a pope of firsts: the first Latin American; the first Jesuit; the first pope to take the name Francis after the free-spirited saint of the medieval period. Pope Francis is simple, joyful and spontaneous; personal qualities that appeal beyond the Catholic community, touching the hearts of all people of genuine good will.
But the novelties of the past five years are only reflections of the deeper ecclesial revolution Francis has inaugurated. He wants a “church of the poor,” “bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets,” a “field hospital” capable of healing wounds, and a “loving mother” who “never condemns anyone,” but “pours out the balm of mercy,” which is the “greatest of all Christian virtues,” and “the very name of God.” More than anything, the pontificate of Francis has revealed again in our time, the simple yet revolutionary message of the love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead.
So much has happened over the five-year pontificate of Pope Francis, it’s easy to forget how new and exciting it felt from the beginning! Here’s a timeline of the major developments in the life and ministry of Pope Francis, beginning with that unforgettable night he walked out on the balcony…
WEBPAGES ABOUT POPE FRANCIS
THE FRANCIS EFFECT
The Francis Effect takes a critical and in-depth look at how an ancient institution is rapidly changing under the leadership and vision of Pope Francis, and exclusive interviews with prominent Catholics and non-Catholics reveal that Francis is having a profound effect on the world as well.
Pope Francis is celebrating five years as head of the Catholic Church. To mark this anniversary, two leading Catholics, a journalist and a theologian, voiced their conflicting opinions on the legacy of Pope Francis’ controversial pontificate.
on June 18, 2015, Pope Francis released an encyclical on ecology entitled, “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.” Prior to the public release, the Holy Father sent the encyclical to all Bishops around the world with a handwritten note...
The 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Contemporary World focused largely on the family, language and church teaching.
Pope Benedict XVI, 85, who has been considered a guardian of the faith, upholding the traditional teachings of the church leading the clergy in the defense of the faith, announced February 11, 2013 he is resigning as Bishops of Rome and Pope effective at the end of the month. ...
In preparation for the Jubilee Year in 2025, Pope Francis has made 2024 a Year of Prayer, calling us to intensify our prayer life and be strengthened by hope. ...read more
My brothers and sisters: In this month of March, Pope Francis invites us to pray for new martyrs, that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive. ...read more
Let us pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive. ...read more
Lent immerses us in a bath of purification and of self-spoliation: it helps us to remove all the cosmetics that we use in order to appear presentable, better than we really are. ...read more
Among all the capital sins there is one that is often overlooked, perhaps because of its name, which is often incomprehensible to many: I am talking about acedia. ...read more
In our itinerary of catechesis on the vices and virtues, today we will look at a rather ugly vice, sorrow, understood as a despondency of the soul, a constant affliction that prevents man from feeling joy at his own existence. ...read more
Those who are terminally ill are the ones who are the most in need. Rather than seeing them as useless and disposable parts of society, we need to regard them with respect and give them the dignity that is due. ...read more
Let us pray that the sick who are in the final stages of life, and their families, receive the necessary medical and human care and accompaniment. ...read more
Pope Francis 5th Anniversary: Innovation in Continuity
Christian Culture Series: Fr. Thomas Rosica What really happened at the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops?
Witness Interview: Sebastian Gomes
Christian Culture Series: Fr. Thomas Rosica The Pope, The Synod and the Response of Mercy
Diane Sawyer on The Francis Effect
Fr. Matt Malone on The Francis Effect
Hopes and Challenges: A Conversation on the Papacy of Francis
Moving Forward: From Benedict to Francis
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