Pope Francis has just passed away at the age of 88 and twelve years after his election. In the conclave of 2013 he was elected the first American pontiff in the history of the Church and also the first Jesuit pope. Cardinal Bergoglio chose the name Francis in memory of St. Francis of Assisi, the great reformer of the Church in the averagees. The pope tried to carry out a similar reform in our time.

Some historians have compared Francis' physiognomy, manner of being and even his way of expressing himself to John XXIII, the pope who convoked the Second Vatican Council and ruled the Church for five years, from 1958 to 1962. At first glance, the two resembled each other physically and also shared a tendency to change things rather than maintain them as had been traditional. However, Pope Francis could also be compared to other recent popes. For example, with Paul VI, always ready to dialogue with the modern world, even with thinkers and currents far from the faith; and with John Paul II, always open to the sick, the marginalized and children; even with Benedict XVI, with whom he was united by the closeness of having had him as a neighbor, inside the Vatican. 

Undoubtedly, Pope Francis broke all the molds and schemes of Vaticanists, historians, journalists, etcetera. His Franciscan-like poverty has attracted attention, which led him to wear the same shoes as always, not to order too many items of clothing from the Gammarelli tailor's store (the store where the popes of Rome have been elegantly dressed by hand), to renounce the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, preferring to live in a modest apartment in the residency program of Santa Marta, consisting of a small living room, an office and a bedroom with a bathroom. All this was more than a change of style, since the pope intended to preach by the example of an austere life in tune with the reform he desired for himself, for the Church and for the world. The desire for renewal and the love for the virtue of poverty recalled, once again, Francis of Assisi, the great Italian saint and friend of nature. 

The first apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel (in Latin, Evangelii gaudium) was an exhortation to Catholics to go to the peripheries, that is, to build bridges of dialogue, sharing and helping, especially with the most disadvantaged in society. This idea and other ideas of Pope Francis have been welcomed and even applauded by world public opinion. Undoubtedly, the pontiff has been listened to by people who had hardly tuned in to the Church before. For example, Pablo Iglesias said he would not mind having a coffee with the pope for a friendly chat or the French Marxist historian Jacques Le Goff celebrated the resemblance of the pope's words to Francis of Assisi, for many the first ecologist in history. 

At some point in his pontificate he revealed that if health or illness were to impair his mind he could resign and leave the role of government to another pope during his lifetime. This option, which in recent weeks seemed possible, has not been realized.

In recent years, Francis has denounced the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and has called attention to a possible Third World War should the conflicts spread over more territories over time.

In some interviews he was asked about the possible convocation of a Vatican Council III and the pope answered that he did not think it was necessary. Some historian dared to write that if Vatican Council I had taken place in the 19th century and Vatican Council II in the 20th century, therefore, Vatican Council III could be convened in Francis' time in the 21st century. So, perhaps the next pope or the next one will dare to call back the cardinals and bishops to discuss the Church in today's world at Vatican Council III. Time to time.

It is not known how history will judge the recently deceased pope. Everything seems to point to the fact that Francis will be a sui generis pontiff, a man of the Church who has marked a historical milestone of great magnitude, as the first Latin American pope and also the first Jesuit pope, maintaining some lines drawn by recent pontiffs from John XXIII, through Paul VI and John Paul II, to Benedict XVI, but also with reforms, which finally have not culminated due to his death.