Pope Francis 'changed the church.' Now, some worry his successor might reverse course

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 1:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

A Winnipeg instrumentalist says she knew Pope Francis and was personally touched by his generosity years ago, but she besides worries astir who volition capable the relation next.

Pope Francis, who led the Catholic religion since 2013, died connected Monday greeting astatine property 88, according to the Vatican.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio's predetermination arsenic person of the Roman Catholic Church connected March 13, 2013, followed the astonishment resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

Onna Lou says she knew Pope Francis erstwhile helium was inactive Cardinal Bergoglio. He was appointed a cardinal by Pope John Paul II successful 2001.

Lou, a singer-songwriter who moved to Winnipeg successful 2016 from Buenos Aires, Argentina — wherever Pope Francis was besides from — says helium stood retired arsenic a cardinal, calling retired corruption and urging affluent churchgoers to usage their powerfulness to marque a difference.

"I retrieve his wide would ever beryllium precise interesting. He would ever accidental what different priests wouldn't privation to say," she told big Marcy Markusa successful a Monday interrogation with CBC Manitoba's Information Radio.

Lou says she aboriginal came into interaction with Cardinal Bergoglio portion studying classical creation astatine a Catholic university. She had been struggling with pupil loans and a dense workload erstwhile her parent wrote a missive to the cardinal astatine the proposal of a friend.

"Two days later, she picked up a missive that I presented [at] my college, and I got a afloat assistance for the past 2 years."

Pope Francis was seen arsenic a progressive person of the Roman Catholic Church, acold little acrophobic astir enforcing religion doctrine than his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict, and much funny successful opening religion doors to those who felt excluded.

His 12-year papacy signalled a much unfastened and welcoming Catholic Church that prioritized empathy for the mediocre and disenfranchised, including Indigenous victims of Canada's church-run residential schools.

Lou says she's "scared" of who whitethorn travel adjacent arsenic the caput of the church, arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump and Argentina's chainsaw-wielding, "anarcho-capitalist" president, Javier Milei, acceptable a caller code of enactment connected the planetary stage.

"The religion has specified powerfulness successful the world. I anticipation idiosyncratic volition travel who volition beryllium much funny successful uniting people," she said.

While Lou doesn't person the assistance missive anymore, she remembers the cardinal's signature was written truthful tiny that she considered it an "expression of however humble he's ever been."

"I'm not a Catholic anymore, but I deliberation helium was a bully person for the church."

'He volition beryllium with america forever'

Nerina Robson, who attends the St. Ignatius Parish successful Winnipeg, says radical could place with Pope Francis due to the fact that helium spoke astir issues that were important to them, leaving a lasting people connected the church.

"He took an involvement successful radical nary substance wherever they were from oregon what they were doing," she told Markusa connected Monday morning.

"He walked the streets of Argentina. He didn't privation to unrecorded successful opulent settings. He wanted to unrecorded wherever radical lived, [and] that truly made radical consciousness adjacent to him."

Robson says she wishes Pope Francis could person done much to springiness women adjacent presumption wrong the church, but she hopes his successor volition transportation connected his progressive legacy.

However, she's besides acrophobic that a caller person mightiness locomotion backmost parts of that legacy.

"There are forces successful the religion that were not blessed with what Pope Francis was doing, and I interest that they volition instrumentality implicit power of the church," she said.

"That would beryllium truly hard for galore Catholics."

Robson besides said she recovered it "amazing" that Pope Francis died arsenic Christians finishing marking Easter, a commemoration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"He's not going to emergence again, but helium volition beryllium with america forever," she said. "He changed the church, helium made it much relevant."

'He did the close thing'

In Canada, Pope Francis whitethorn beryllium remembered astir for his historical apology astatine the erstwhile Ermineskin Residential School successful Maskwacis, Alta., successful 2022.

After years of pushing for an apology, Pope Francis opened a caller section of healing for survivors and their families, said Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, nationalist main of the Assembly of First Nations.

"I cognize that determination [were] each these different forces pushing him and pulling him to bash this and bash that, but helium did the close thing, for this state and for this world, by apologizing to First Nations people," she told Markusa.

Woodhouse Nepinak says whoever becomes the adjacent Pope should proceed to enactment with First Nations people, arsenic the Assembly of First Nations has had archetypal discussions with the Vatican to effort and repatriate Indigenous artifacts that are being held there.

"We've been having affirmative discussions. I anticipation that that doesn't halt with the passing of His Holiness," she said.

"Let's commencement talking about, you know, however bash we truly heal?"