A year has passed since that April 21, 2025, when the world held its breath.  Today, on the first anniversary of Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s death, St. Peter’s Square does not reflect the emptiness of absence, but rather the fullness of a legacy that has taken deep root in the heart of the Church and of humanity.  Remembering Francis is not an exercise in nostalgia, but a way to rekindle the lamp of hope that he so diligently protected.

A Shepherd with the “Smell of Sheep”

Since that “Brothers and sisters, good evening” from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in 2013, Francis broke the mold of rigidity to embrace fragility. His pontificate was not written only with encyclicals, but with gestures: the embrace of a disfigured man, the washing of the feet of young inmates, and that historic  Urbi et Orbi blessing  in the solitary rain of the pandemic.

Francis sought to be a “father of tenderness.” His insistence on a “field hospital” Church transformed the perception of faith, reminding us that doctrine is soulless if it is not translated into concrete charity.

The Gospel of the Last Things

Analytically, his legacy rests on two pillars that today, a year after his passing, resonate even more strongly:

• Integral Ecology:  With  Laudato si’ , it ceased to be merely a scientific concern and became a moral imperative. It taught us that the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one and the same.
• Universal Brotherhood:  Fratelli tutti  was his political and spiritual testament, a call to tear down walls in a world fragmented by hatred and indifference.

The Legacy of Joy

What we miss most about Francis is, paradoxically, what is most with us: his ability to humanize the sacred. His homilies at Santa Marta, simple yet poignant, reminded us that being Christian is not a burden, but a “joy that is renewed and shared.”

Today, grassroots communities, the “existential peripheries” he loved so much, are the best guardians of his memory. In the working-class neighborhoods of his native Buenos Aires and in the most remote missions of Africa and Asia, the name of Francis remains synonymous with a Church that is not afraid to go out, to risk getting hurt by being in the streets, rather than getting sick from being confined.

Don’t let go of our hand

As we close this first year without his physical presence, the Church walks with the certainty that the “People’s Pope” fulfilled his promise not to leave us alone. His passing to the Father was the seal of a life given over to God. As he himself tirelessly asked us:  “Pray for me .” Today, the Catholic world responds with one voice:  “Thank you, Francis, for teaching us that mercy is the name of God . “

“Death is not the end, but the passage to the light. Francis lived for that light and left us the map to find it in the face of our brother.”

Summary of the Pontificate of Francis (2013-2025)

The pontificate of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Jesuit Pope and the first from the Americas, was characterized by a constant effort toward  missionary renewal and structural reform  under the motto of a “Church that goes forth .” His legacy is structured around several fundamental axes:

• Curia Reform and Governance:  Francis promoted profound changes in the Vatican administration to make it more agile and service-oriented, culminating in processes that sought greater transparency and pastoral closeness .
• Social and Ecological Magisterium:  Through encyclicals such as  Laudato si’  (on the care of the common home) and  Fratelli tutti  (on universal fraternity), he placed the environmental crisis and social justice at the center of the Catholic moral imperative .
• Closeness to the Peripheries:  His ministry focused on the “discarded” of society.  He was a tireless defender of religious freedom and persecuted Christians, always maintaining a close link with humanitarian aid organizations .
• Gestures of Humility and Tenderness:  From the choice of the name “Francis” to his decision to reside in the Casa Santa Marta, his daily gestures — such as direct and informal treatment — were considered by many as a synthesis of his way of understanding the priesthood .
• Towards a Synodal Church:  He fostered a culture of listening and dialogue within the Church, promoting that bishops and laity walk together, a concept that marked his last years and that continues to be a reference for the future of the institution .

Francis died on  April 21, 2025 , leaving behind a Church that, in the words of his closest collaborators, learned to “make mistakes” in the streets rather than become ill from confinement .  His successor, Pope Leo XIV, was elected in May 2025, beginning a new era that seeks to continue this spirit of welcome and hope .