10 Powerful Reasons that make Pope Francis a Truly Unforgettable Pope Ever

The man who was lovingly known as ‘The People’s Pope’ is no more. On 21st April 2025, the first Latin American Pope - Pope Francis has taken his last breath, leaving millions of followers around the world heartbroken. 

Admired for his kindness toward the marginalized section of the society, Pope Francis constantly urged humanity to humankind to live with peace and humility.

Here are the 10 top things that made Pope Francis truly phenomenal globally

1. The Man of Simplicity

From the moment Francis was elected until his death, the pope was known for fostering simplicity among his followers. He was known for his denial of capitalistic assets. He always favored humility. Pope Francis always had empathy and humility towards the marginalized, poor, and weakest of the community. Pope Francis chose bus over the Papal Limousine, opting for a simple lifestyle. This quality of Pope Francis was looked up by many of his followers.

2. Advocated for the upliftment of Unprivileged

Pope Francis always thought about the weaker section of society. Pope Francis was aware of the religious bias towards the poor. He had called out for such biasedness in religion and created the ideology “Church for the Poor”. “Oh, how I would like the poor the church, and for the poor,” urging for the religious reforms in the Catholics. Through this, he dismantled the idea of religion belonging to the rich. Pope had also requested the politicians in power to design economic plans that would be inclusive for the poorest.

3. Defender of the Oppressed people

Pope had always been an active advocator for the rights of the marginalized, refugees, and migrants. He believed that all of humankind was one. And we should never create any indifference. “Too often we participate in the globalization of indifference. May we strive instead to live in global solidarity?" Pope said once, highlighting that all humankind belongs together. Unlike his predecessor, he strongly stood by the LGBT+ community by welcoming the 2020 same-sex couples' civil union protection law and requesting the Catholics to not marginalize gays and lesbians.

4. Voiced out for the Children's Rights

Pope Francis always had a soft corner for the children. They are the future of the world, yet so powerless and vulnerable while growing up. Francis never liked the idea of war, as it affected the children the most. He gave a call for global leaders, religious representatives, and advocates for the protection of children's rights. With his stance against war, he highlighted how such atrocities can affect children's psychological state. He stated, “To kill children is to deny the future.” With his opportunity to present his views at the World Meeting on Children’s Rights, the Pope highlighted how millions of children’s lives are affected because of poverty, war, and his fear of human trafficking. He also underlined that the cause of such acts is more in developing countries because of the unequal wealth distribution.

5. An Adaptive Thinker

Even though Pope was from the Catholic Orthodox Church, he was always different from his predecessors. He knew how to balance the religious code of conduct, to adapt it to the new society’s changing values. He thought of the outer world before reaching for anything. Pope made sure that religion didn’t concise the thinking of the human but rather elevated it through, one’s experience. He surely knew how old school’s few paradigms were negative and yet how necessary the religion was in the new world. Therefore, he skillfully balanced both sides of the world. On the one hand, the pope refused the materialistic possessions of the religion. On the other, he advocated for the betterment of marginalized in the society.

6. Spoke Up for Gender Equality

The pope knew the old-school paradigm of gender treatment was not good for society. He made sure that women could be appointed as lecturers to read scripture and serve the altar in the church. He amended the law regarding the same, thus formalizing and institutionalizing the above as common practice. This made the women lectors in the church from 2021. He believed in the Complementarianism theory of gender, stating his belief in equal opportunity irrespective of the difference both genders had. Thus, upholding the belief that women always had an important role in life.

7. The Environmental Warrior

Pope Francis not only thought about humankind in general but also about the wide diversity of creatures who live among humans. Before becoming Pope, his name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He introduced himself as ‘Pope Francis’ to the public, on March 13, 2013. This act was in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, a preacher and animal lover from the 13th century. Pope used to refer to Earth as the ‘common home,’ thus it didn’t only belong to humans, but also creatures lived among us. Therefore, he urged for sustainable development parameters. He always believed that change happens from within oneself; thus, he used to travel by bus and economy while flying. On many occasions, the Pope has highlighted the changing environment, pollution, and fast fashion culture, which has resulted in a huge amount of waste affecting biodiversity. Therefore, he requested that humans change their way of living, production, and consumption of products to reduce waste and global warming.

8. Promoter of Peace

In this 21st century, many nations, like Russia, Ukraine, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Israel, and Gaza are at war. He always stood against such violence. He used to be vocal about the after-war effects and how it destroys all, bringing peace to no one. He used to stand by the migrants of the war region and used to request the people to treat them with humility and respect. Pope Francis always believed in universal brotherhood.

9. Community-centric Approach

Even though Pope Francis was orthodoxically inclined towards his religion, he never differentiated between people. Pope always thought about society at first. He always made sure that his power was not to be misused but for the betterment of society. Pope supported the upliftment of the poor, immigrants, and refugees. He also thought about the biodiversity that comes with humans. Francis always used to give a call for sustainable measures, inclusion of all, and, majorly, to maintain global solidarity.

10. Was a Pillar of Integrity

Francis, being a pope, always made sure that his stance towards an issue was right. His ideologies, beliefs, and religion never came in front of his righteousness. In 2018, due to the rising scandals of clerical sex abuse, the cases of mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries in Ireland made society distrustful. Pope Francis wrote a letter to Catholics where he condemned the acts of priests, and the cover-ups they tried to make and demanded those priests to take accountability for the exposed scandals. He asked forgiveness for the sorrowful events conducted in Ireland.

Global Leaders on Pope’s Death:

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India - "Pope Francis will always be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage by millions across the world.”

Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia - "He urged us to remember all we hold in common and he asked the world to hear the cry of the earth - our common home."

Emmanuel Macron, French President - "Throughout, his pontificate Pope Francis had always sided with the most vulnerable and the most fragile, and that he did this with a lot of humility. In this time of war and brutality, he had a sense for the other, for the most fragile."

Donald Trump, US President - “He was a good man, worked hard. He loved the world.”’

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President  - "He knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians.”

Throughout his life, Pope Francis was loved by many irrespective of the cultural, traditional, and language differences. The way Pope lived his life will be an example for the younger generation to look up to and the older generation to not forget. As Pope Francis once said, “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.” Let’s consider the life of Pope Francis to be an example for universal solidarity.