Back in 2013, when that white smoke finally billowed out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, the world was... well, confused. A Jesuit? From Argentina? Nobody saw Jorge Mario Bergoglio coming. He stepped onto the balcony without the fancy red cape, asked the crowd to pray for him first, and basically signaled that the vibe in the Vatican was about to change. Fast.
But looking at pope francis then and now, the story isn't just about a guy who likes black shoes instead of red ones. It's about a massive, messy, and honestly pretty exhausting transformation of a 2,000-year-old institution.
If you haven't been keeping tabs on the Holy See lately, things got pretty intense recently. By early 2025, the "Pope of the People" was facing some of his toughest physical and political hurdles. Then, in April 2025, the news hit that Francis had passed away at age 88. It felt like the end of an era, mostly because he’d spent over a decade trying to pull the Church into the 21st century while half the leadership was trying to hold onto the 19th.
From Buenos Aires to the Bronze Doors
Let’s talk about the "then."
Before the white smoke, Bergoglio was a guy who took the bus to work. He was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, known for living in a tiny apartment and cooking his own meals. People loved that. When he became Pope, he kept that energy. He ditched the Apostolic Palace—which is basically a massive museum—and moved into a guest house called Santa Marta. He wanted to eat breakfast with the regular staff.
It was a total PR win.
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But it wasn't just for show. He came in with a mandate to clean up the "Vatican Bank" (IOR) and fix the bureaucracy. Early on, he was the rockstar pope. He was on the cover of Rolling Stone. He was TIME’s Person of the Year. Everyone thought he was going to change everything overnight.
The honeymoon didn't last forever
Honestly, the middle years were a bit of a slog. You’ve got these two major camps. On one side, you have progressives who thought he wasn't going fast enough on things like women priests or ending celibacy. On the other side, you had ultra-conservatives who literally thought he was a heretic.
Remember the "Who am I to judge?" comment? That was 2013. Fast forward to the end of his papacy, and he was still walking that tightrope. He eventually authorized blessings for same-sex couples (non-liturgical ones, but still), which caused a massive rift, especially in Africa and parts of the US.
Why Pope Francis Then and Now Looks So Different
The physical shift is the most obvious part. In 2013, he was energetic, hopping off the popemobile to kiss babies. By 2024 and 2025, he was mostly in a wheelchair. Sciatica and knee pain were constant. He even had part of a lung missing since his 20s, so respiratory issues were always looming.
But the "now"—or the legacy he left—is really about synodality.
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That’s a fancy Church word that basically means "listening." He wanted a Church that wasn't just a top-down dictatorship. He launched this multi-year "Synod on Synodality" that wrapped up right before he died. It was supposed to be his big finale. He wanted the laity—regular people like you—to have a say.
The "Grandfather" in the House
One of the weirdest things about his papacy was living with a "retired" pope. For nearly ten years, Benedict XVI was living just down the road in the Vatican gardens. Francis called it like "having a wise grandfather at home," but let’s be real: it was awkward.
Whenever Francis said something "liberal," critics would run to Benedict’s writings to try and prove him wrong. When Benedict died in late 2022, the "buffer" was gone. Francis was suddenly on his own, and he actually got more aggressive with his reforms afterward.
The Controversy Nobody Mentions
People talk about his politics, but they often miss the financial stuff. He inherited a mess. Benedict actually handed him a "large white box" full of documents about scandals and corruption when he took over.
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Francis spent years trying to centralize the Vatican’s money. Did he succeed? Sorta. He fired a lot of people. He put a Cardinal on trial (Cardinal Becciu) for a bad London real estate deal. It was the first time a Cardinal was tried by a lay court in the Vatican. That’s a huge "now" vs "then" moment.
What He Actually Changed (And What He Didn't)
If you’re looking for a scorecard, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. He didn't change the big stuff. Women still can't be priests. Abortion is still a no-go. But he shifted the priority.
- Then: The focus was often on sexual morality and "culture wars."
- Now: The Church talks way more about climate change (Laudato Si’) and "unbridled capitalism."
He basically said, "Look, we can't just talk about pelvic issues while the planet is on fire and people are starving." This made him a hero to environmentalists and a villain to some free-market enthusiasts.
The Actionable Takeaway: How to Look at His Legacy
If you’re trying to understand the impact of pope francis then and now, don't just look at the headlines. Headlines love drama.
- Check the Documents: If you actually want to know what he thought, read Fratelli Tutti. It’s his manifesto on "social friendship." It’s way more radical than most people realize.
- Look at the Cardinals: This is his biggest "quiet" change. He appointed the majority of the guys who chose his successor, Leo XIV. He purposely picked guys from the "peripheries"—places like Mongolia, Tonga, and the Amazon—rather than just the usual Europeans.
- The "Throwaway Culture": This was his catchphrase. He applied it to everyone: the unborn, the elderly, migrants, and the environment. If you want to understand the Francis "now," you have to see through that lens.
The Church he left behind is definitely more polarized than the one he found, but it’s also much more global. It doesn't revolve around Rome as much as it used to. Whether that's a good thing depends entirely on who you ask.
The best way to track how the Church continues to evolve is to watch the new appointments coming out of the Vatican this year—they'll tell you if the "Francis effect" is staying or being quietly rolled back.