In Memory of Pope Francis
The Mark He Left and His Legacy to the Governorate
Pope Francis passed away peacefully this morning, Monday, April 21, at 7:35 a.m.
He gave himself completely to the Church, to his brothers and sisters, and to humanity. His heart has ceased to beat, but his voice will echo forever in the minds of the men and women of our time, in those who had the privilege to hear his words, to witness his prophetic gestures, and to follow his Magisterium.
Until the end, he continued to serve the Church, never taking time for himself, as the needs of the Church were always his priority. Just as he consistently asked others to reject a throwaway mentality and to never discriminate, he never held back in proclaiming God’s mercy to the world. He made this the central theme of his pontificate.
We recall the Extraordinary Jubilee Year dedicated specifically to God’s mercy, held from November 2015 to November 2016 when he made the highly symbolic gesture of opening the Holy Door not in St. Peter’s Basilica, but in Bangui, Central African Republic, on November 29, 2015, just days before the official start of the Jubilee. He chose a place at the margins of the world, tragically known for its intense armed conflicts.
For Pope Francis, every person carries within them the possibility of conversion and redemption through Christ’s mercy. “There is no place in our heart that cannot be reached by God's love,” he said to prison inmates on November 6, 2016. “Where there is someone who has made a mistake, the Father's mercy is even more present, to inspire repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.”
We will also remember his encouragement of interreligious dialogue, his insistent call to help migrants and refugees, his care for the elderly and those discarded by consumeristic and materialistic societies; his words urging social justice, eradicating poverty and for solidarity and human charity still resonate. Especially memorable were his words during the Jubilee for Socially Excluded People on November 11, 2016: “[...]at the heart of the Gospel there is poverty as its great message, and that we Catholics, Christians, everyone — must form a poor Church for the poor; that every man and woman from every religion must see in every poor person the message of God who draws near and who becomes poor in order to accompany us in life.” He also criticized clericalism, which he considered a plague for the Church, while placing trust in the role of the laity as well.
As Sovereign Head of State other than being a Universal Pastor, the Governorate owes much to Pope Francis. Notably, thanks to the encyclical Laudato si’ on caring for our common home, the Governorate embraced a green transformation. This included prioritizing CO₂ emissions reductions, renewable energy production, and environmental protection, with significant investments—like the photovoltaic glass roof over the Cortile delle Corazze at the entrance to the Vatican Museums.
Pope Francis also shaped the current legal system of the Vatican State with several reforms. A key reform came on November 25, 2018, with Law No. CCLXXIV on the Governance of Vatican City State, emphasizing that the Governorate "exercises power and functions attributed to it to guarantee the Holy See absolute and visible independence, including internationally, in carrying out the universal and pastoral mission of the Supreme Pontiff."
Major reforms continued, especially in 2020. In March, he promulgated Law CCCLI on the Judicial System of Vatican City State, replacing the 1987 law. This granted greater independence to judges and simplified the judicial system by better separating investigative and judging bodies. On June 1, 2020, he issued the Motu Proprio introducing transparency, oversight, and competition in public contracts of the Holy See and the Vatican City State, aimed at better management of resources and reducing the dangers of corruption. On September 18, a protocol for fighting corruption was published. On October 5, a Commission for Confidential Matters was established to determine which economic acts require confidentiality. On December 5, 2020, Pope Francis approved the new Statutes for the Financial Information Authority, which was renamed the Authority for Financial Supervision and Information (ASIF).
A milestone was the promulgation of the new Fundamental Law of the State on May 13, 2023, affirming “the singular nature and autonomy of the Vatican legal system, distinct from that of the Roman Curia, and characterized by recognizing canon law as its primary normative source and irreplaceable interpretive criterion.”
Another major initiative was the reform of the Roman Curia, initiated at the very start of his pontificate on March 13, 2013, and fully enacted with the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, promulgated on March 19, 2022. This document redefines the Curia as a service not just to Church structures and institutions, but to the Gospel itself. The term Evangelium refers not to one of the four Gospels, but to the living event of Jesus Christ announced and witnessed in them.The reform rests on key principles desired by Pope Francis: missionary conversion—placing the Roman Curia within the Church’s evangelizing journey in accordance with the Second Vatican Council—and communion among all people with Christ, the foundation of the Church’s community life expressed through synodality. Synodality, in fact, is a hallmark of his Magisterium. From the moment of his election on March 13, 2013, he said: “And now, let us begin this journey: bishop and people. This journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches. A journey of fraternity, love, and mutual trust.” This “synodal path” is essentially the collective discernment of God’s will—not individually, but as a Christian community. During the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops on October 17, 2015, he defined synodality as a constitutive dimension of the Church, that offers us the most appropriate interpretive framework for understanding hierarchical ministry itself. If we understand that, as St. John Chrysostom says, ‘Church and Synod are synonymous’—because the Church is nothing other than the ‘walking together’ of God’s flock on the paths of history toward Christ the Lord—then we also understand that within it, no one can be ‘elevated’ above the others.
The Second Vatican Council remained a cornerstone of Pope Francis’s vision. He always saw it as a grace-filled event for the Church and the world, whose fruits are still unfolding. He was a tireless promoter and implementer of the Council’s principles, aware that they have not yet been fully understood, lived, or applied. For Pope Francis, the Council emphasized the importance of the People of God, reminding us that the Church is not an elite of priests and religious and that every baptized person is an active subject in evangelization. In fact, the Council and the synodal path cannot be properly understood unless evangelization is placed at the center. As Pope Francis observed, “there is a kind of bridge between the first and the last Council”—a bridge “whose architect is the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, he invited all to listen to the Second Vatican Council, to rediscover that evangelizing is always an ecclesial service—never solitary, never isolated or individualistic, and above all without seeking proselytism.
Among the many enduring images of Pope Francis, one stands out in history: that unforgettable stormy night on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica. On the deserted evening of Friday, March 27, during Lent, he presided over an extraordinary prayer service to ask God for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. At his side stood the image of Salus Populi Romani and the Crucifix from San Marcello al Corso, invoked for deliverance during the 1522 plague in Rome. As he stood alone in a rain-soaked, empty square, millions across the globe followed the televised transmission in prayer. The service concluded with Eucharistic Adoration and the Urbi et Orbi Blessing. His words from that night serve as a testament to us all:
“Lord, bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort to our hearts. You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak, and we are fearful. But You, Lord, do not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Let us repeat once more: ‘Do not be afraid’ (Mt 28:5). And we, with Peter, cast all our worries upon You, because You care for us (cf. 1 Pt 5:7).”