VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis cemented his legacy this past year, appointing friends and allies to key positions and ousting critics.
His crowning project during an October summit of bishops and laypeople was to to inject in the Vatican a style of governance based on transparency, accountability and equality.
During this year, Francis attempted to toe the line between increasingly polarized factions in the church and society. As he struggled to be a mediator for peace in the conflicts in Ukraine and in the Middle East, the pope also attempted to hold the tension between progressives and conservatives in the church.
As Catholic women take on greater roles of responsibility in the religious institution and demand empowerment and recognition in the church, Francis stopped short of allowing them to be ordained as deacons.
He defended church doctrine and condemned the practice of surrogacy and the promotion of gender theory.
Despite the pope’s famous opening toward LGBTQ+ Catholics, his commitment to inclusion and welcoming was called into question when he reportedly used anti-gay slurs in private conversations with priests.
At the age of 88, Francis emerged as a pope committed to ensuring that the key aspects of his reform outlive his pontificate. Those who hoped he would usher in a new era of doctrinal opening …