In comments made in Rome, where he teaches philosophy, João Vila-Chã expressed that the election of Pope Francis was a “surprise” that “went very well.”
“Francis was the great Jesuit of the 21st century,” Vila-Chã said, highlighting the origins of the Society of Jesus, “founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola to serve the Pope, not to become Pope.”
But Francis “remained a Jesuit to the end and demonstrated to society that one can be Jesuit and be Pope,” embracing the transformative vocation of the religious order, noted the Professor of Social and Political Philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University in the Vatican.
Reflecting on his leadership, the priest believes that “Francis achieved extraordinary work, carried his Jesuit calling to its end,” and “will increasingly be recognized as a great Pope,” a “Pope of integrity who clearly demonstrated the value, power, and importance” of the role.
The philosopher observed that “Francis was a Pope of processes; his skill was setting a path, not reaching a target,” referring to reforms in the Roman Curia and internal discussions on the Church’s relationship with the world, such as the Synodal Path, which covers controversial topics like the role of women or the rights of various minorities.
The “initiated processes must continue, but they may fail” if his successor decides to halt them, Vila-Chã stated, acknowledging the risk to Francis’s legacy.
“If these processes that Pope Francis initiated are interrupted, especially in an unjustified manner—which I do not believe could happen—it would be a grave loss” for the “transformation within the Church and its relationship with the world.”
Currently, “what the moment demands from us is attention to what God wants for the Church,” and the “next Pope’s profile must be of a man of consensus, a man of profound faith,” intelligent and “capable of understanding the major processes occurring in the world,” regarding the “socioeconomic and sociopolitical transformations” of contemporary society, warned the philosopher, who has taught at Boston College and was the director of the Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia.
Pope Francis passed away on Monday at the age of 88, due to a stroke, after 12 years of pontificate.
Today, his body will be placed in St. Peter’s Basilica for the faithful to pay their respects before the funeral ceremonies on Saturday.
