The conclave that elected Francis had thousands of accredited journalists; the 600 journalists covering the Holy See were joined by 4,432 special envoys. In a climate of maximum expectation, audiences and media were getting to know an unexpected and surprising Pope, the first non-European in 1,200 years.

Francis demonstrated a special ability to transmit the message through gestures and symbols. His magisterium contributed valuable expressions such as "make a mess", "liquefy the faith", "transit through patience", "airport bishops", "the idol of money", "throwaway culture", "globalization of indifference", "world war in pieces", "sanctity next door", " meetingculture", "balcony life", "sofa youth", among others, that have been shaping a singular speech and, at times, have been permeated by public opinion, inside and outside the Church.

In addition to an initial meeting with journalists, several milestones stood out in his relationship with the media. After the death of another group of immigrants who wanted to arrive from Africa, he personally went to the island of Lampedusa: "We are disoriented, we are no longer attentive to the world in which we live, [...] we do not protect what God has created for everyone and we are not even capable of taking care of each other". The speech struck a chord with world public opinion. Another milestone was Time magazine's nomination as "person of the year," recognizing what it called "the people's pope," "who took the name of a humble saint." His press conferences were a far cry from the no-questions-asked ones to which so many have accustomed us, or the prefabricated conversations. The frank and open style was characteristic of those interventions in his travels.

What did Francis think about communication? In 2016 and 2017 the Pope had twelve meetings with Dominique Wolton, in which he held wide-ranging conversations on major topics, including this one. There he pointed to a model that underlines proximity: from his point of view communication is, first and foremost, staff: "Communication is something that cannot be bought. It is not sold. It is given. Proximity is precisely the reason he gives for using Twitter (today X): "I have to use all means to get closer to people. It is a means [...] I write tweets as if to open doors, I am sure that these tweets touch hearts".

Any assessment of the pontificate is still premature. But conclusions can already be drawn. In a way, his strategy consists in the "lack of strategy": freshness, simplicity, spontaneity and proximity. He also highlighted a smile that has gone around the world. These qualities have allowed the Church to connect with less usual contexts, with audiences that were less comfortable with religion. Francis' message has been a source of opportunities for communicating the faith in the 21st century and has allowed the Church to reach new forums with its mission statement.