Since his appointment as Pope Francis in 2013, the late Jorge Bergoglio’s papacy has been described as “revolutionary” in several aspects. His far-reaching factor was translated by his actions, from visiting refugees to washing the feet of convicts.

Here are 12 highlights from the Herald of his 12 years in the Vatican.

Lampedusa

Francis’ first official visit outside of Rome after becoming Pope was to Lampedusa, a small Italian island that connects Africa with Europe and that migrants cross to escape conflict or to seek a better life. There, he met with refugees and put the migratory crisis at the center of debate, marking what the rest of his papacy would look like. During his visit, he condemned the “globalization of indifference” regarding the hardship migrants faced when putting their lives at risk trying to get to Europe.

“Make some fuss”

The late pope said one of his most iconic phrases just a few months into his pontificate. On July 22, 2013, he made his first international trip as head of the Catholic Church to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to preside over World Youth Day. “I want the Church out on the streets, make some fuss,” he told the thousands of young people who went to see him. “Parishes, schools and institutions are meant to go out, because if you don’t they turn into an NGO, and the Church can’t be an NGO.”

Against corruption

Between 2013 and 2014, Francis pushed reform on the Institute on the Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican Bank. He ordered an audit, reinforced controls on investments and tenders, and carried out reforms intended to combat corruption. It is estimated around five thousand suspicious bank accounts in the Vatican were closed in response to the pope’s actions.

US – Cuba 

Pope Francis was behind the historic 2014 deal that restored diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba after over half a century. The pontiff was a key actor, along with the Canadian government, during the 18-month-long negotiation period, which was carried out in hermetic secrecy. Francis facilitated talks between Presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro and their various officials, while his presence softened the tensions that arose in the two countries throughout the process. 

Protection of the environment

The 2015 Laudato si’ encyclical marked Pope Francis’ commitment to the environment. In his writings, he called for “care for our common home” and questioned consumerism. The letter condemned the “irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed” the planet.

U.S. visit

During his first and only visit to the United States in September 2015, Francis became the first pope to ever address a joint session of Congress. He gave a lengthy speech in which he condemned the arms trade and the death penalty, and also spoke about the importance of respecting human life and the environment. Before landing in the United States, he also visited Cuba and met Fidel Castro.

Meeting with the Patriarch of Moscow

Five months after his first visit to Cuba, Francis landed once more in Havana during a stop towards Mexico. There, he met Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was the first time the heads of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches met since the Schism of 1054.

Chinese bishops

Pope Francis reached a historic agreement with China in 2018 that solved a decades-long conflict between an underground Chinese church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association. While the pope has been traditionally the only one with power to decide over the appointment of bishops, the deal gave Chinese officials some input into who Francis appointed in the country. It has since been renewed every two years and, in 2024, it was extended for another four.

Fight against abuse

Francis was the first pope to acknowledge the serious issue of sexual abuse perpetrated with impunity by bishops and religious superiors. In 2019, he released the Vos estis lux mundi, a document that established stern norms to combat sexual abuse within the Church. This happened after former cardinal Theodore McCarrick was expelled from the clergy after being found guilty of several sexual offenses in a canonical trial. At the time, Francis asked for forgiveness for “all the sins committed by the Church.”

An empty square

For the first time in history, Pope Francis gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi, a special form of blessing reserved for the most solemn occasions, to a completely empty St. Peter’s Square on March 27, 2020, to address the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have realized that we are on the same boat,” he said in a message to the world.

Women’s role

In 2022, the pope carried out a reorganization of the Catholic Church. The goal was to make it less bureaucratic, decentralizing power and giving more importance to local churches. This reform allowed for lay Catholics, including women, to be appointed to lead dicasteries, the “ministries” within the Vatican.

The LGBT community

Under Pope Francis, the Catholic Church authorized same-sex couples to receive the blessing in December, 2023. That year, the late pontiff said “being homosexual isn’t a crime” and defended that “we are all children of God.”