by There are concerns about who would succeed the 266th head of state as Catholics grieve over Pope Francis and consider his legacy as a reformer.
Cardinals from around the world will soon gather at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, shrouded in secrecy, to select the most suitable candidate to tackle the challenges confronting the Catholic Church and guide the 1.4 billion Catholics globally. But from what source will the next pope emerge? What position will he take in broad Catholic discussions?
Ordinary churchgoers will not have a voice in the choice. However, Catholics who talked to the USA TODAY Network just hours after Francis’ death were sharply divided when asked what priorities they would prefer from a new pope.
Some said they hoped Francis’ successor would continue the advancements he achieved, especially in the areas of women’s and LGBTQ+ inclusiveness. Others expressed their desire for the next pope to uphold the church’s more conservative stance on issues such as abortion.
Pope Francis Dead at 88: Vatican Issues Official Statement.
A Progressive Pope?
Francis earned the nickname “People’s Pope” during his ten years at the head of the Catholic Church for his support of the underprivileged and his reform of some of the church’s practices that detractors deemed outdated.
Francis expressed his grief at President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate pact in a 2018 interview with Reuters, saying it was “because the future of humanity is at stake.”
The pope also argued with political figures over how they handled immigration. During his final public address on Easter, the pope urged officials “not to yield to the logic of fear” and called for peace.
In 2023, he declared that “being homosexual isn’t a crime” and signed legislation permitting women to hold administration positions for the first time. He also called for the acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals.
It was not his first time speaking out on these two subjects, but he never completely rejected church beliefs.
Francis stated, “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family,” in a 2020 video advocating for civil union laws to protect same-sex couples. Being God’s children, they have the right to a family. No one should face expulsion or misery as a result.
Residents of Massachusetts told USA TODAY Network that they sincerely believe Francis will be the next pope, as the state has one of the biggest Catholic populations in the nation.
He went beyond religion. Carl Sawejko, 67, who established Sawejko Enterprises, a telecommunications company in southern Massachusetts, stated, “He welcomed everyone to the church.” As a child, he claimed to have been an alter boy at a church in Swansea, Massachusetts.
Others, like University of Massachusetts medical student Julia Mitrano, 28, stated that they want a pope who will go above and above to advocate for broad reforms in the church, such as legalizing same-sex marriage.
As an ex-Catholic, Mitrano stated, “I would love the next pope to be even more progressive than Pope Francis.”
The Nahant, Massachusetts native is one of a growing number of Americans who claim to have been confirmed Catholic but no longer practice the faith. Dissatisfaction with Catholic doctrines, especially regarding social issues like same-sex marriage, is a common reason for leaving the church.
According to 2024 Pew Research study, the majority of Catholics in the United States think that the church should accept gay weddings (54%) and that women should be permitted to serve as priests (64%).
“At this juncture, I am willing to make any incremental progress, given the Catholic Church’s significant lag and ongoing issues,” Mitrano expressed. “Hopefully, they’ll be more tolerant of everyone else in the future.”
Someone who can comprehend the current “complexities”
Not every Catholic who claimed to respect Francis told the USA TODAY Network that they hoped his successor would strive for more liberal reforms within the church.
At a church service in Westerville, Ohio, which is northwest of Columbus, Paulette Harrigal, 79, found out about the pope’s passing. The pope, she said, was “a blessing.”
Harrigal declared, “I’m going to start praying for all the cardinals to make the right selection,” adding that she wants them to choose a candidate who is “very pro-life” and opposed to reexamining church doctrine on abortion.
Francis stuck to church teachings on abortion, calling it “homicide,” despite defying some trends. However, in 2016, he wrote a letter pleading for forgiveness for what the church considered to be the sin of abortion.
According to the Pew Research survey from 2024, the majority of those who opposed church social reforms (59%) went to Mass at least once a week. On the other hand, the majority of those who supported changes to church policies (56%) claimed to visit church infrequently or never.
The next pope, according to Franciscan friar Wil Tyrrell, who left the order in 2019 and is currently a religion teacher at a private Catholic high school in New Orleans, would need to be able to lead the many factions of the church through difficult times.
“I think they need a moderate who can understand the complexity of the times,” Tyrrell stated. “In the age of social media, there are truths and falsehoods, and the difficulty is discerning which is which.”
The Church sexual abuse scandal is still in the news.
In their interviews with the USA TODAY Network, other people were quick to identify the shortcomings of Francis and the areas they hope a future pope may improve.
The church should ensure that the future pope has never been associated with concealing sexual abuse, whether in particular churches or a broader context. This is the recommendation of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), an advocacy group for survivors of sexual abuse in churches. Additionally, it called for a “zero tolerance law for sexual abuse” to be implemented by the next pope.
Even though the majority of the crimes occurred before his election, Francis’ battle to restore confidence to a church rocked to its foundation by priest sexual abuse scandals defined his pontificate.
He established a Vatican meeting on child protection as one of his actions to confront the crises. He made it mandatory for clergy to notify the church of sexual abuse, but he did not mandate police reporting.
SNAP contends that those regulations fall short.
The organization’s spokesperson, Sarah Pearson, stated, “We don’t want any other survivor to wake up and realize that someone who chose to protect their abuser is the next leader of the Catholic Church.” That was the case one month ago.
Francis acknowledged shortcomings among the church’s leaders during a 2018 visit to Ireland, the epicenter of the Catholic Church’s sex abuse epidemic.
In a speech to Irish government officials, he stated, “The failure of ecclesiastical authorities—bishops, religious superiors, priests, and others—to adequately address these repugnant crimes has rightly given rise to outrage and remains a source of pain and shame for the Catholic community.” “I agree with these sentiments myself.”
