Members of the American Catholic Historical Association reflect on the life, legacy, and impact of Pope Francis. These pieces, written by ACHA scholars and other historians, offer historical context, personal insight, and tributes to one of the most consequential pontificates of our time.
The Legacy of Pope Francis
Charles Strauss, ACHA Executive Director
The passing of Pope Francis has offered members and friends of the American Catholic Historical Association an opportunity to place his pontificate in historical context and to reflect on his life and legacy. In a recent letter on the renewal of the study of Church history, Pope Francis wrote:
A proper sense of history can help each of us to develop a better sense of proportion and perspective in coming to understand reality as it is and not as we imagine it or would prefer reality to be. Setting aside dangerous and disembodied abstractions, we are able to relate to reality as it summons us to ethical responsibility, sharing and solidarity.
We invite members to share with the ACHA additional links to published commentary on Pope Francis, which we will feature on our website and social media. We join all those who mourn this good and holy man.
Charles
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Pope Francis canonized 942 saints during his papacy. What do they tell us about him?
Kathleen Sprows Cummings
It is both poignant and fitting that one of Pope Francis’ last official acts was to advance the causes of seven candidates for canonization. Francis’ prolificacy in naming saints outpaced even that of St. John Paul II, who canonized 482 people during his 27 years as pope, more than all of his predecessors combined. Pope Francis named almost double that number in just 12 years. Admittedly, that total—942—is skewed by the inclusion of the canonization of the 813 martyrs of Otranto. Even so, Francis’ penchant for saint-making was impressive—and telling. A person’s heroes often point to their values. In Francis’ case, the people he singled out for their heroic virtues reveal a great deal about his papal priorities.
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Francis’s Church? Assessing a papacy and its legacy
Massimo Faggioli
Shortly after his election to the papacy in March 2013, then seventy-six-year-old Pope Francis said that his pontificate would be short—four or five years. It turned out to be much longer, one of the many surprises of his eventful time on the throne of Peter.
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Mount St. Mary’s professor recalls his days with future pope in Argentina
Gerry Jackson
From the first time they met, Alejandro Cañadas was impressed with the humility and jovial personality of the future Pope Francis. Cañadas, now an associate professor of economics at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, met then-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio several times from 1991 to 1997 when he was a college student in his native Argentina and the future pope was a priest in Buenos Aires.
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Remembering Francis: ‘One of the most consequential leaders of our time’
Brian Fraga, Chris Herlinger, and Brian Roewe
The Catholic Church is in mourning. Catholics around the world expressed their sadness and non-Catholics sent their condolences upon hearing the news of Pope Francis’ death at age 88 on Easter Monday.
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Fr. Thomas Reese: I loved and supported Pope Francis, though he was not perfect
Fr. Thomas Reese
The whole world is mourning the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday (April 21), during the 13th year of his papacy. He may have disappointed liberals who wanted him to change the church’s teaching on birth control, gay marriage, married clergy and women priests.
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Notre Dame faculty experts reflect on life and legacy of Pope Francis
Carrie Gates
On April 21, Pope Francis died at the age of 88. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 in Argentina, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1958, was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. In 2001, Pope John Paul II named him a cardinal. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis was elected as his successor on March 13, 2013.
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On Pope Francis’ Legacy — And What Happens Next
Mathew N. Schmalz
With Pope Francis’ death on April 21, 2025, at age 88, the world looks back on his papacy — and forward to his funeral, as well as to the conclave that will name his successor.
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Will a new pope make any difference for women?
Phyllis Zagano
Pope Francis is dead. Will a new pope make any difference for women? Of course, we do not know who the new pope will be, but he will most certainly be chosen from the cardinals set to gather in Rome to elect the next successor to St. Peter. Their choice will most certainly not be “she.”
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Pope Francis never stopped being a Jesuit
James Martin, S.J.
In 2005, a few days before the conclave that elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as pope, I was having breakfast in my Jesuit community. At the table was a Jesuit who had retired after working in Rome for many years. On that day, The New York Times ran a story that included a list of the papal “electors,” the cardinals who would soon travel to Rome to elect a pope.
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Welcoming the outsider, Pope Francis brought us back to heart of Christianity
Yunuen Trujillo
The world is saddened by the loss of Pope Francis, the pope who reminded us what Christianity is truly about. From the first moment he appeared publicly on March 13, 2013, greeting the crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, we knew he was going to be different from other popes. By making a purposeful choice not to wear the red mozzetta — a short cape traditionally worn by popes that resembles royal vestments — he delivered his first message: the church should be a church for the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalized.
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