Unfinished tasks come with Pope Francis concluding his 12-year tenure. Remaining issues linger for the incoming pope to address.
Let's Talk About Pope's Successor's To-Do List
By FRANKIE SANTANA
VATICAN CITY (AP) - As Pope Francis wraps up his 12-year reign, he's left a ton of unfinished bizzo for his successor to tackle, from drowning Vatican coffers to the ongoing conflicts tearing apart continents and dissatisfaction brewing among the traditionalists dismayed by his crackdown on the good ol' Latin Mass.
When the cardinals wrap up their votin' in Michelangelo's frescoed dominion of the Sistine Chapel, the 267th pope will have a tough call to make: Stick with Frankie's policies, give 'em a quick tweak, or chuck 'em altogether. Will he focus on migrants, the environment, and social justice like his predecessor did, or lean more towards other hot button issues?
Here are some things the new pope needs to shuffle through:
The Position of Women
Francis was ahead of his time when it comes to elevatin' women to leadership roles within the Vatican - and his successor's got some decisions to make. Do they continue the legacy, speed things up, or retreat and change course? Remember, Catholic women are doin' most of the church's work in schools and hospitals, and they're usually the ones passin' the faith down to future generations.
But they've long felt like they're second-class citizens in an institution that keeps the priesthood exclusive to men. Some aren't even stickin' around anymore. Nuns are leavin' in droves, either through attrition or simply quittin' – bringin' up questions about the future of female religious orders.
The Vatican says the global nun population has been losin' around 10,000 a year for the past decade. In 2012, there were 702,529 nuns worldwide; by the end of 2022, that number had dropped to 599,229.
The new pope is gonna have to deal with the expectin' ladies lookin' for a larger say in Church governance, as well as a desire for greater respect. Maria Lia Zerbino, an Argentine advisor appointed by Francis, said, "We're the majority of God's people. It's about justice. It's not a victory for feminism; it's in the church's interest." Women’s Ordination Conference, pushing for female priests, is harder on the Church for excludin' women from the conclave and the priesthood altogether.
Polarization of Progressives and Traditionalists
An anonymous letter circulated among Vatican officials back in 2022 criticized Francis' "catastrophic" papacy. George Pell, an Australian cardinal and former close advisor to the pope, was the letter's secret writer. By the time Pell passed away in 2023, he'd become increasingly disillusioned with Francis.
Last year, another anonymous cardinal penned another letter, this time signed "Demos II." This one blasted Francis for his "autocratic," ambiguous leadership and lack of tolerance for disagreement. These letters reflect the age-old divides between progressives and traditionalists within the Catholic Church that got exacerbated under Francis' leadership.
He emphasized “inclusion” and “synodality” (listening to the faithful) and cracked down on traditionalists by limitin' their celebrations of the old Latin Mass. While conservatives may not have enough votes to elect one of their own, the new pope'll have to try to bring 'em back together.
This division is evident in the United States, where folks with access to social media can challenge the Vatican or even the local church's stance, according to professor Steven Millies of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Millies said, "Certain communications on social media can promote a narrative of what Catholicism is that doesn't come from any ordained minister, from any bishop – and can do so night after night, worldwide."
Clergy Sexual Abuse
Although many church leaders like to think sexual abuse scandals are ancient history, survivors and their supporters call on the new pope to tackle it as a top priority.
Francis and Pope Benedict took steps to put an end to decades of abuse and cover-ups, changin' Church laws to punish abusers and their clerical superiors who shielded them. But there's still a culture of impunity, with church authorities barely beginnin' to address other forms of spiritual and psychological abuse that have hurt generations of believers. Twenty years after the sexual abuse scandal first surfaced in the U.S., there's still no transparency from the Vatican about the extent of the problem or how cases were handled.
The new pope needs to deal with the existing caseload and continued outrage from rank-and-file Catholics everywhere while copin' with ongoing revelations in regions yet to be hit by the scandal.
Ahead of the conclave, groups of survivors and their supporters held press conferences in Rome to call attention to the issue. They created databases online to call out clergymen who botched cases and demanded the Vatican adopt a zero-tolerance policy to bar abusers from any priestly duties.
Community for LGBTQ+ Outreach
Remember when Francis said, "Who am I to judge?" back in 2013, when asked about a gay monsignor at the Vatican? He basically reassured gay folks that God loves 'em just the way they are, and everyone's welcome in the Church.
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The new pope will have to decide whether to embrace that inclusivity or take things in a different direction. Many supporters stand ready to roll things back. In 2024, African bishops issued a continent-wide statement denouncin' Francis' decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples.
The Rev. James Martin, who seeks to bridge the gap between LGBTQ+ Catholics and the Church, knows the degree of resistance, but he's stayin' optimistic. "The challenge for the new pope is to continue Francis' outreach to a group that's felt excluded from their own Church," Martin says.
- The new pope will need to address the ongoing issue of women's leadership within the Vatican, considering their significant contributions in schools, hospitals, and passing faith to future generations.
- The question of women's inclusion in Church governance and the future of female religious orders is a pressing concern that the new pope will have to address.
- The new pope will face a polarized progressives and traditionalists divide within the Catholic Church, exemplified by the anonymous letters critical of Pope Francis' leadership.
- The new pope will be tasked with addressing the persistent problem of clergy sexual abuse, which notably still lacks transparency from the Vatican.
- The issue of inclusivity towards the LGBTQ+ community will be another crucial decision for the new pope, with varying opinions on whether to embrace Francis' inclusivity or take a different approach.
- In 2024, African bishops issued a statement denouncing the decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples, indicating potential resistance to further inclusivity in Church practices.
