Pope Francis’ death was announced on Easter Monday, and since then, people all across the world have been thinking back on his tenure as head of the Catholic Church and the choices he made.
Pope Francis, who assumed the position in 2013, was well-known for his progressive reforms and for taking a stand on a variety of topics that were occasionally viewed as contentious.
Pope Francis, for instance, made news last year when he cleaned the feet of twelve women in a Rome prison.
He decided to wash just women’s feet during the ritual, which is held on the Thursday before Easter, for the first time.
Pope Francis has also bathed the feet of homeless people, convicts, refugees, and others with impairments over the years. But Pope Benedict XVI, who came before Francis, first only cleaned men’s feet before limiting it to priests.
When Pope Francis took office, he broke with custom by allowing women to participate in the ritual.
On Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, the Roman Catholic Church observes a custom of foot washing.
It was first used by the early Christian church to mimic the selfless love of Jesus, who bathed his followers’ feet at the Last Supper, the evening before he was crucified, according to Britannica.
“In 2016 Pope Francis changed the Roman Missal to permit the washing of the feet of women and himself washed the feet of migrant men and women from a variety of faiths for that year’s Maundy Thursday service at an asylum centre outside Rome,” the website states.
“On Maundy Thursday, the rulers or members of the royal family in a number of European nations offered the impoverished presents and bathed their feet. Following the Reformation, the royal practice persisted in England for a while before being discontinued by the Church of England in 1754.
The voting process, known as a papal conclave, is expected to take place over the course of 15 to 20 days, though it is unclear who will be chosen to succeed Pope Francis.
The College of Cardinals, a small group of more than 200 senior cardinals appointed by previous popes, will make the decision. They will cast their votes four times a day until a candidate obtains a significant two-thirds of the vote.
One thing is certain, though: the essential function must be filled by a man, even though there is no legal age limit.
Francis’s close friend Pietro Parolin, 70, from Italy, is regarded as a leading candidate. Since Francis’ election in 2013, he has served as the Vatican’s secretary of state and is dependable and trustworthy.
The 67-year-old Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle is also expected to be given careful consideration while making decisions. If chosen, he would become the first Asian pope and the former archbishop of Manila.
Peter Turkson, 76, of Ghana, who would be the first Black pope in centuries, would possibly be a contender.