Written by: Oscar Joe Rivas *
Pope’s personality Francisco He depth the perception of leadership into the contemporary Catholic Church. From the first moment that Jorge Mario Bergolio He appeared on the Vatican balcony on the night of March 2013, and he was humbled to pray for him, which was clear that he would not be common. He was not a leader demanding power or traditions, but the person who approached the world of simplicity and sympathy. It has become a certain mixture of personal austerity, moral courage and authentic rapprochement, the essence of its leadership, which raises millions while disturbing others.
Francisco’s thought nourishes mercy, humility and church deeply adhering to the existential parties. This commitment is not abstract. It is visible in your daily life. He chose to live in Casa Santa Marta instead of the luxurious Apostolic Palace, a symbolic and practical decision that dismantled centuries of papal traditions. His style, Jesuit firmly, does not seek to impose himself from above, but to influence role models and personal cohesion.
This does not mean that it avoids difficult issues. Those who know him well indicate this Bergolio He is not afraid to say uncomfortable facts, but he always does it with a mercy that seeks to recover instead of judgment.
His symbolic phrase “Who am I to rule?” When he talks about homosexuals, it reflects a deep pastoral conviction. This gesture was not a privilege of modernity, but a true representation of his spiritual vision: mercy prevails over ideological hardness.
Although their ideological positions remain compatible with the Catholic traditions, it is its pastoral approach that distinguishes its leadership – a precise balance that some described as the popular preservation: the Orthodox in principles, but a radical social in practice.
This vision of the world was not created automatically; He was forged at the heat of severe biological experiments already painful. I grew up in a family of Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires, Bergolio He knew early on the face of humility, and learning from his grandmother Rosa Not only religious faith, but also appreciation for literature and culture.
In 21, he faced human fragility in his body, when severe pneumonia requires partial removal of his right lung. The experiment instills acceptance of weakness and deep confidence in Provence.
Perhaps it has not distinguished any experience in psychology more deep than the troubled years of Argentine dictatorship. The Sucreior was appointed at a very early age, and he had to move in very difficult moral situations. When two priests were kidnapped under his care, he did everything possible to get his release.
Years later, he will face harsh criticism for publicly not condemning the regime, forcing him to review and learn about the true sense of power and leadership. Later, he was aware that the authentic authority was manifested only in modest service, nor in the arrogance or absolute control.
His decision was less famous, but very important, is to seek psychological help during those years of tension and great pressure. At the end of the 1970s, he resorted to analytical treatment, an unusual and brave option for a religious leader for his generation. Bergolio He publicly admitted that these sessions with a Jewish therapist helped him to understand himself greatly and his restrictions. This openness allowed a deeper understanding of human wounds, which is reflected in its pastoral leadership.
Another crucial moment in his life was the time of retirement in Cordoba, where, in the Department of Authority and in a kind of internal exile, deepened his personal spirituality. For him, those years were a “dark night for the soul”, which is an opportunity to grow humility and meditation. When returning to the active leadership, first with an auxiliary bishop and then as a bishop of Bings Aires, he did so simply renewed and more important approach to the Gospel.
When the Pope was chosen, choose the name Francisco Inspired San Francisco de AssisA symbol of poverty and radical simplicity. This gesture was not only symbolic; He clearly referred to the direction that Pontificate will take: leadership focused on the poor, environment and social parties. His immediate and direct style reduced the papacy in an unprecedented way, from driving a modest car to broken the protocol to interact automatically with people.
Thinking, Francisco It is characterized by various and deep effects. His Jesuit formation gave him a strong spirituality, focused on personal acumen and tangible work. At the theological and philosophical level, it received a strong influence for thinkers Henry de Lobak Y Romano GuardiniWhich prompted him to develop an integrated vision and reconciliation of human and mental poles.
Also, the theology of the Argentine people applauds deeply the way to understand faith, with a focus on it on popular pastoral and commitment to the most vulnerable.
Complex Francisco It does not leave indifference to psychologists and experts who analyzed their leadership. They highlight their authenticity, sympathy and communicative ability, which translates into remarkable cohesion between their beliefs and actions. His leadership style was described as “transformational”, able to stimulate the deep changes that attract global values such as mercy and hope, and not through imposing or fears. but, Francisco It is not exempt from internal and external criticism. Some accuse him of an informal process or rupture with some traditions.
He always responds to openness and mercy, convinced that spiritual hardness is a form of internal slavery. This condemnation is likely to arise from his own experience, as he was forced to overcome the hardness of his youth to reach a more sympathetic vision.
In the end, the Pope’s psychology reflects the combination of opposites, which brings peace to polarization: humility, power, traditions, reform, firmness and mercy. His leadership was formed through deep personal experiences and continuous intellectual and spiritual research. Free from fears and biases, Francisco’s heart stopped beating at 7:35 am on April 21, 2025, but his legacy and thinking left an indelible sign of the Contemporary Catholic Church forever.
(Tagstotranslate) The opinion of the expert Oscar Joe Rivas.
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