"Finally, it's about time, we have a Latin American Pope!" So began the article we published in La Razón after the election of Pope Francis in March 2013. Now, twelve years later, we exclaim: we thank God for having had a Latin American Pope!   

He was a Pope who came from the "end of the world" to become Bishop of Rome; his first gestures denoted closeness to the people of God. Closeness so as not to lose contact with the most real reality. We have seen him on so many occasions: eating with the homeless of Rome, calling the parishes of Gaza, celebrating his birthday with sick children .... What's more, we have seen it with our own eyes. We were invited to lunch at Domus Santa Marta in 2019. At the back of the dining room there was a table occupied by the cleaning ladies. We discovered one more diner, he was wearing a white sundress, it was the Pope. Closeness so as not to lose contact with the real.   

The media, commentators of all subject, Catholics and non-Catholics began their bets. Almost everyone took a position in public and in private: he was a Jesuit, a liberation theologian, a leftist, an Argentinean, a Latin American. .... It is not uncommon to speak without knowing, to speak for the sake of speaking... And to be wrong.   

Pope Francis' intellectual stature is supported by the philosophical and theological training he received in Jesuit training centers between 1958 and 1971 (Centro de Espiritualidad Loyola de Santiago, Chile; Máximo de San José high school in San Miguel, Argentina; Alcalá de Henares, Spain), and by his programs of study in Germany in 1985-1986 (Goethe Institute of Boppard and University of Sankt Georg, Frankfurt).   

He arrived in Rome with a good knowledge of the Roman Curia, since he was archbishop (1998, since 1992 bishop), cardinal (2001), and member of several Roman Congregations (Divine Worship, clergy and consecrated life). But, above all, because, as he said in an interview, he had read the 35 volumes of the History of the Popes (1305-1774) by Ludwig Pastor, during his stay in Cordoba (1990-1992).  

The cardinals who voted for him knew his gifts for pastoral government, his missionary impulse, his courage to face problems, his human warmth and his empathy with the faithful. They also knew his many theological sources, among which we could highlight the theology of the people of Lucio Gera and Juan Carlos Scannone, which were at the antipodes of Marxist liberation theology. Their influence was evident in his teachings.    

Francis, from the moment he assumed the pontificate, promoted the development of central aspects in the Church such as communion and participation, he made a renewed effort for synodality and encouraged the faithful to the evangelizing mission statement in a secularized world. But Francis did not neglect the necessary reforms agreed upon in the cardinals' meetings prior to the conclave. Beginning with the Roman Curia (2022), he continued with the episcopate, clergy and seminaries (2017, 2023); as well as religious and other ecclesial realities. With his continuous encouragement, the mercy and tenderness of God were presented not only with words, but with works, gestures and actions. The Pope made present the merciful God who does not judge and forgives ("C'est la confiance" and Dilexit nos).  

The Argentine pope also confronted the challenge of sexual abuse, continuing the work of Benedict XVI. He asked for forgiveness for the acts of the Church's sons and daughters, and he directed solutions to this scourge, which had already been denounced by John Paul II. It is worth noting that the Catholic Church has been the only institution in the world that has truly faced this problem.  

We cannot fail to highlight Bergoglio's human nature. A man who was able to govern with tenacity and, at the same time, knew how to recognize his mistakes. He was a world leader who knew how to rise to the great crisis of the AIDS pandemic and to make clear points on social issues: the multiple wars (messages for the World Peace conference initiated by Paul VI in 1968), immigration (messages for the World conference of Migrants initiated by Pius X 1914), poverty (messages for the World conference of the Poor initiated in 2017), the climate crisis (Laudatio si', Laudate Deum).... In turn, he invited to build bridges between societies, cultures and religions. His social magisterium was driven by the desire for universal human fraternity (Fratelli tutti) and dialogue to achieve the good.   

We end with a parallel. John Paul II's first words on the balcony, after being elected, were "Do not be afraid". Francis also appealed to us to be courageous, not to be afraid because the foundation of the Church is faith and love; a "divine love that inspires, directs and corrects transformation, and defeats the human fear of leaving the 'safe' to launch out into the 'mystery'".   

Let's embrace and preserve this bequest.