VATICAN CITY (VATICAN CITY)
RTE [Dublin, Ireland]
May 4, 2025
By Ailbhe Conneely
As cardinals file into the Sistine Chapel this week, those who believe they may be in with a shot of becoming the 267th pope, will have considered their priorities as leader.
While much weight is placed on the fact that Pope Francis appointed over 100 cardinals during his pontificate, it does not mean his successor will reflect his pontificate.
Pope Francis’ successor will inherit a Church facing an array of challenges from the outset.
Among those is the legacy of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, which has dominated recent papacies.
Indeed, some would say that for Pope Benedict, it was an issue that he simply could not get on top of and that it contributed to his early retirement.
Many victims of abuse and observers of Pope Francis’s papacy believe that despite his efforts, he failed to grasp and manage the problem adequately.
In his trips around the world, including to Ireland in 2018, the late Pope was confronted by the stories of victims who had been severely damaged and hurt by a powerful institution which sought to protect those in positions of power.
In 2019, Pope Francis published a document called ‘Vos Estis’, to outline procedures for investigating and judging cases of sexual abuse in the church.
Ultimately, this centred on holding bishops, religious superiors and others to account in their response to abuse.
However, the effectiveness of Vos Estis continues to be debated because of its ‘self-policing’ policy.
While many measures have been taken by the Catholic Church to address the issue of sexual abuse, victims and survivors will say the Vatican is far too slow in addressing the problem which leads to retraumatisation.
Pope Francis said there was ‘zero tolerance’ when it came to the abuse of minors.
However, there have been concerns regarding the approach of the Vatican to the sexual abuse of adults.
In particular, the Vatican’s approach to spiritual abuse.
It is an issue that came to the fore in recent years when the Jesuit priest and famous Slovenian artist Fr Marko Rupnik was accused by around 20 nuns of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse.
In 2020, the Vatican excommunicated Fr Rupnik for absolving a woman he had sexual relations with during confession.
Having repented his sins, Fr Rupnik’s excommunication was lifted shortly after, but it took two years for this to come to light.
The Vatican, under Pope Francis, was repeatedly criticised for an apparent passivity in dealing with the case of Fr Rupnik.
There was a lack of urgency in addressing women’s allegations which highlighted extreme exploitation of their vulnerabilities by Fr Rupnik.
The Slovenian priest is highly revered for his art which adorns churches and monuments around the world, including in Vatican City.
Under canon law, the statute of limitations for Fr Rupnik’s case was 20 years.
However, the charges against him referred to incidents that occurred 30 years previously.
Therefore, the statute of limitations had expired.
This led to great upset amongst Fr Rupnik’s accusers and there were claims of a cover up by the Pope who hailed from the same order.
In 2023, Pope Francis lifted the statute of limitations and asked the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith to review the case.
In the same year, Fr Rupnik was incardinated in the Diocese of Koper in his home country of Slovenia to serve as a priest.
While the Vatican investigation has concluded, no tribunal has yet been convened to hear the case, and how the next Pope deals with this high-profile outstanding matter will be watched with interest.
Role of women, LGBTQ+ community
One of Pope Francis’ lasting legacies is the Synod on Synodality.
A listening exercise, it was a global conversation amongst Catholics which took place in recent years.
While the range of involvement at a local level worldwide varied greatly, the Irish Catholic Church took it very seriously.
Irish parishes identified themes like inclusivity (for example the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in the church) co-responsibility, accountability, the role of women, transparency and vocations as key priorities.
Archbishops from Ireland travelled to Rome with their findings which were not dissimilar to findings brought by those from other Western countries.
A final document was drawn up and there is no doubt that those involved in the process, including over 60 cardinals, bought into the idea of a listening and more discerning process.
Following the publication of the official document, Pope Francis created ten working groups to study and reflect on what emerged on issues including seminary formation, ministry (including laypeople), LGBTQ+ Catholics and the ordination of women deacons.
Those working groups are due to report back to the new pope during the year.
Given that he has no obligation to take on the recommendations of those working groups or continue with synodality to the same extent as Francis, his response will be an indication of the path of the Catholic Church in the immediate term.
Elect a ‘fundraiser, not a pastor’
Vatican finances are also an issue for the next pope.
While it is well known that Pope Francis sought to clean up finance scandals, it has also been widely reported that the Vatican faces a growing budget deficit.
A final gesture by Francis was to use an anonymous benefactor to pay for his funeral, choosing not to place the burden of the cost on the Vatican.
While much of the Vatican’s revenue comes from assets like real estate, education and hospitals; tickets to museums and money gained from tourism at the Holy See reportedly ‘keeps the lights on’.
Pope Francis is viewed as having achieved some success in this area, with recorded profits on its sovereign wealth fund increasing during his tenure.
Watchdog organisations were also established or given more strength externally and internally to keep an eye on financial matters.
Despite that, a steady hand is required on the part of his successor in this area.
Jesuit priest and commentator Rev Thomas Reese recently said that the budget woes of the Vatican could have a “tremendous impact” on cardinals entering conclave.
“They’re going to have to elect somebody who’s a fundraiser, not a pastor,” he said.
Vatican reform
Another issue is Vatican reform. This includes reform of the Roman Curia which is, essentially, the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church.
It functions like a Cabinet.
In 2022, Pope Francis published a document to make the Curia more efficient, transparent and focused on service to the Pope and local churches.
He also expanded women’s roles within the Curia, marking a historic shift toward greater inclusion for women in the Church.
While his appointments have spanned various high-ranking positions, criticism remained from some quarters, that he did not see, or adequately consider, the ordination of women as deacons during his papacy.
Cardinals on the other side of the argument criticised the inclusion of laypeople and women in high-ranking Vatican positions from the outset, viewing these moves as departures from tradition.
That criticism continued in recent days, when, as reported by America Magazine’s Vatican Correspondent Gerard O’Connell, Cardinal Beniamino Stella “openly attacked Pope Francis” for “bypassing the long-standing tradition of the church” linking the power of governance to holy orders.
Mr O’Connell reported that Cardinal Stella said Pope Francis “imposed his own ideas” by opening positions of governance in the Roman Curia and the church to men and women not in holy orders.
Overseas trips
Finally, Pope Francis’s first trip abroad set a marker for his papacy when he visited the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, to highlight the serious issues facing migrants.
His overseas trips continued in that vein, prioritising communities facing hardship.
Pope Francis also sought to meet religious leaders from various faiths overseas, engaging with figures like the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
He expressed his intention to visit Turkey this summer to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a pivotal event in Christian history.
Considering its historical significance the new pontiff is likely to go to Turkey.
However, each pontiff has the discretion to establish his own priorities regarding trips overseas.
Ultimately, whoever is elected pontiff in the coming days or weeks, will have his own priorities and vision in the midst of a complex political landscape inside the Vatican and beyond.
While reforms and efforts undertaken by Pope Francis reshaped the Holy See to a point, there is no onus on his successor to continue that trajectory.