Pope Francis has died

Immediate Reactions and Personal Impressions

• Many commenters, including non‑believers, expressed genuine sadness and respect, describing him as humble, pastoral, and unusually “human” for a major religious leader.
• Others felt he was overrated or “PR‑crafted,” or saw him as an average pope whose words were constantly over‑interpreted by media.
• The fact that he died on Easter Monday led some believers to read symbolic meaning into the timing; others dismissed that as superstition.

Final Easter Message and War, Peace, and Justice

• His last Urbi et Orbi was widely noted as unusually explicit politically: ceasefire and humanitarian appeals for Gaza, concern about anti‑Semitism, global disarmament, and prioritizing the poor over rearmament.
• Some praised his insistence on human dignity and reminding military actors that “targets” are persons. Others thought the language risked downplaying responsibility of those ordering strikes.
• A sub‑thread debated whether calling for “ceasefire” is naive if underlying injustices remain, with disagreement over who, if anyone, should “surrender.”

Ukraine, Russia, and Moral Equivalence

• A major fault line: many, especially from Eastern Europe, condemned his rhetoric on Ukraine (e.g. comments about “white flags”) as morally evasive or soft on Russian aggression.
• Defenders argued he had repeatedly called the invasion unjust and appealed directly to the Russian leadership, but consistently framed his role as urging negotiation and de‑escalation rather than “taking sides.”
• This tension fed claims that he alienated both conservatives and liberals: too progressive on migrants and social issues for some, too cautious or “both‑sides” on war for others.

Internal Church Politics and the Latin Mass

• His restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) were a major point of contention.
  • Supporters saw it as necessary to prevent liturgy from becoming a rallying point for de facto separatism and intra‑Church division.
  • Critics, especially traditionalists, viewed it as an attack on orthodoxy, youthful renewal, and Catholic cultural heritage.
• Broader discussion touched on: progressive vs conservative factions, his reshaping of the College of Cardinals, speculation about a future African pope, and comparisons with previous popes.

Teachings, Jesuit Identity, and Science

• Multiple commenters recommended his social and ecological encyclicals (e.g. Laudato Si’, Fratelli Tutti) as worthwhile even for non‑believers, highlighting his focus on poverty, climate, disarmament and “integral human development.”
• His Jesuit background prompted extended discussion of Jesuit intellectualism, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the Church’s generally non‑creationist stance on evolution and cosmology.
• His remarks on atheists’ possible redemption and his hope that “hell is empty” were seen by some as a softening of traditional rhetoric, by others as fully compatible with existing Catholic theology about ignorance and mercy.

Abuse, Hypocrisy, and Institutional Limits

• Several commenters argued he did too little on clerical sex abuse and even protected high‑profile abusers; others replied that popes are constrained by entrenched Vatican structures and global politics.
• The thread repeatedly returned to a core tension: admiration for his personal compassion and rhetoric versus disappointment at the limited structural change in an institution many see as historically complicit in harm.