Editor’s note: Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the editors of Where Peter Is received many tributes to his life and reflections on his influence from past and current contributors, as well as podcast guests and friends of the site from all over the world. We will publish a few of these reflections every day leading up to the conclave. —ML
The only man for the job
by Brian Killian
Pope Francis was a blank slate to me. When Jorge Bergoglio was elected as Bishop of Rome and Pope of the Catholic Church, the only reference I had to his name was a reflection he wrote in a book of essays on Communion and Liberation, one of the new movements in the Church that Pope Benedict XVI was close to. But after Pope Benedict resigned I thought, “Who could possibly stand in the fisherman’s shoes after Benedict?”
After learning more about his background, I was very impressed with his humility and his closeness to the poor. I believe this is the key to his pontificate. His genius and knowledge wasn’t simply that of a faith-filled theologian or philosopher. It was a realism and a wisdom that came from the concrete encounter with Christ in the poor and those on the peripheries. These encounters gave him deep pastoral knowledge and insights into some of the pressing problems in the Church — in the most concrete terms possible.
Pope Francis saw firsthand in the barrios of Buenos Aires how messily grace worked in people’s unique individual lives. He witnessed the law of gradualness and the circuitous paths that grace often takes to guide people ever closer to the light of God. He also came to know the importance of not allowing Pelagian pride or abstract legalism to get in the way of that grace.
I believe that Pope Francis accurately diagnosed some of the ills that the Church in North America is suffering from. The pastor-physician put his finger on the wound to heal it, even if many of his patients recoiled and rejected the medicine he offered.
In hindsight, Pope Francis? Of course Pope Francis! How could it possibly have been anyone else? Previously, I thought no man could have sufficed after Benedict. Then this man became the only man for the job. This is a mystery of conclaves and the Church. God is always present in his Church and will always guide it.
God willing, the next pope will also be exactly what the Church needs at this moment, even if today it feels like no one could possibly replace Francis. This will be the case as long as our Catholic faith springs from our communion with each other, Christ, and his Church — and not ideology.
Everything has changed
By Tony Annett
When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, I was working at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). As soon as I saw him come out on the balcony, I knew that everything would change. What I didn’t realize was that it would also change for me. I was becoming increasingly disillusioned by the global economic order, especially in the aftermath of the greed-induced global financial crisis. Pope Francis’s indictment of market ideology really resonated with me. Inspired by his example and teaching, I would go on to leave the IMF. I would participate in an initiative at the Vatican called “Ethics in Action,” in which I was fortunate to meet the pope on numerous occasions. Also inspired by Pope Francis, I published a book on Catholic social teaching and economics, Cathonomics, in 2022. Everything did indeed change with his election. And there’s no going back.
If you would like to add your own reflection to this series, please send it via email by clicking on the “Article Submissions” tab above, with the subject line “Reflection.” The recommended length is 200-300 words. Longer submissions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may be subject to editing. We may not be able to publish all submissions.
Image: Vatican Media
Husband, father of six, idea-tinkerer. Having briefly lived amongst the cacti and coyotes of Arizona, Brian now resides in the Canadian prairies. Brian is a co-conspirator of Where Peter Is.
Anthony Annett is a Senior Advisor at the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the author of Cathonomics: How Catholic Tradition Can Create a More Just Economy.
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