Antonio Navalón
Francis, appointed pontiff on March 13, 2013, not only broke the mold by becoming the first Jesuit Pope in history, but also left behind the old “progressive-conservative” axis of the Vatican Curia to forge new paths. And he did so in his own way, with that mixture of porteño spirit and humility that characterized him.
Born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio carried with him the spirit of his homeland and his austere personality, reflected in such symbolic decisions as rejecting the popemobile in favor of a simple Fiat 500 and living in Casa Santa Marta instead of the Apostolic Palace. These gestures were not mere whims; they were a direct challenge to those who believed that ecclesiastical power should be limited to formalities.
Since he decided to abandon chemistry in the laboratory to delve into the “chemistry of the spirit,” the late Pope always maintained a critical and intellectually sound stance during the hardest moments in his country’s history.
During the darkest years of Argentine history, he gave speeches that shook consciences and sometimes even made members of the Church itself uncomfortable. On this subject, it is also somewhat paradoxical that Jorge Rafael Videla, Emilio Eduardo Massera, and Orlando Ramón Agosti—three of the leading architects and leaders of the Argentine coup d’état in March 1976—coincided with Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s vocational development. The most curious thing about this story is that Videla was a fervent Catholic. Even the then Deputy Prosecutor in the Trial of the Juntas, Luis Moreno Ocampo, went so far as to say that his mother “went to church with Videla in the Olivos neighborhood.”
Francis’s election came at a time of crisis for the Catholic Church. Corruption and exploitation of spiritual weaknesses, offset by the strength of the flesh and the bank accounts of factions within the Catholic Church, had significantly weakened the institution’s credibility. After the long pontificate of John Paul II, the brief passage of Benedict XVI, and the scandals of the evil Father Marcial Maciel, the institution needed fresh air. And that air, curiously, carried a mixture of tango, mate, and social vindication.
As a man linked to the same tradition as Evita Perón, Che Guevara, Maradona, and Perón, Francis also mastered Stalinist maxims. That is why, even though he is deceased, Pope Francis had a decisive influence on the conclave, ensuring that his legacy would live on through the cardinals he appointed, with an eye toward the day when his successor would be chosen. Stalin said, “I consider it of no importance who votes in the party or how they vote; what is of utmost importance is this: who will count the votes and how.”
The papacy of Francis I coincided with one of the most striking and interesting phenomena I have ever experienced in my life. In my years as a resident of cities such as New York, Austin, Europe, Texas, Mexico, and China, I have never seen such a need and spiritual thirst as is being experienced today.
The most interesting thing about this is that this phenomenon has also coincided with the increasingly visible and inevitable decline of democracies and global leadership. A decline that can be seen reflected in the end of the system that had governed us since World War II, and in the clear weariness of societies.
The crisis of integrity throughout the system has dragged down not only regimes and forms of government but also those perennial allies of governments, which have often been religious organizations. People are fed up, and they have been for years, with lies and ruthless deception. The most curious thing is that, in wanting to change the system, they repeat, embrace, promote, and follow the proposals offered by the most populist and, as has been technically proven, the most dishonest.
It is challenging to find statistics on lies more extensive and proven than those of Presidents Trump and López Obrador. However, in an act of pure contradiction, both the Mexican people elected López Obrador and the American people re-elected Donald Trump, knowing full well what to expect.
Despite the lies, the people continue to make self-destructive choices. In this sense, the crisis of the system will be much worse, because this choice against the system is made by electing those who are responsible for much of the loss of its moral authority.
If a society wants to survive, it will always need something to believe in or hold on to. That is why societies, especially young people, have felt an urgent need to cling to something that not only gives meaning to their lives but also does not disappoint them in the way the system has.
To include some data, recent surveys in England and Wales reveal that almost 50% of young people aged 18 to 24 believe “definitely or probably” in God or some higher power, compared to 29% in 2018. In the United States, Bible use among young adults is increasing for the first time since 2021, with 66% declaring a personal commitment to Jesus. This increase is particularly notable among members of the so-called Generation Z, a 12% rise since then. Even the Pew Research Center points to a stabilization in the number of Christians after years of decline.
One of the big questions we have to ask ourselves is what lies behind this need to seek something beyond the earthly realm. Perhaps it’s because, after digital isolation and the trauma of witnessing a pandemic, the world has become vain and superficial. The generations that grew up on “likes” and were disappointed by those age-old institutions are now searching for something real or at least something that makes sense in their lives.
It’s not that people have stopped believing; it’s just that what once offered security and certainty is no longer sufficient. The scandals of pedophilia, corruption, and the thirst for wealth have emptied institutions such as the Catholic Church of their seemingly unshakable meaning. And amid all this chaos and debacle, Francis I rose like a breath of fresh air.
It was the first time that, with the opportunities and contributions of Karol Wojtyla through the Catholic Church exhausted after the fall of communism and the turn of the 20th century, there had been a depletion of social and moral leadership that needed a new direction. He summoned cardinals with a vision for the future, perhaps thinking of a papacy that would understand and respond to the spiritual cry of a wounded world. And that is the great challenge facing the conclave of 133 cardinals who will elect the new Pope.
To date—except for Francis, who is surely resting in peace in the hereafter—we do not know who the new Pope will be. But what we do know is that the world is thirsty for peace, justice, and, above all, an answer to the spiritual unrest that beats strongly within societies, but especially among those born in the digital age. Sooner or later, that thirst will be quenched. And hopefully, when that moment comes, religious and political leaders will be willing to listen, dialogue, and accompany with the same boldness with which Bergoglio challenged the old order.
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