Name: How Pope Francis brought ‘common touch’ to global conflicts
Uploaded: 2025-04-23T04:16:11.535Z
Duration: 3 min 10 s
Description: Pope Francis’s time as head of the Catholic Church was marked by a series of international conflicts and crises from the beginning. CBC’s Eli Glasner breaks down the key moments and explains how his Argentine roots influenced his response.

Pope Francis’s time as head of the Catholic Church was marked by a series of international conflicts and crises from the beginning. CBC’s Eli Glasner breaks down the key moments and explains how his Argentine roots influenced his response.

Rome

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, has died at age 88 from a cerebral stroke and subsequent heart failure, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis Dies

Pope Francis, the son of Italian immigrants, brought a unique approach to the papacy, emphasizing simplicity and action over traditional displays of grandeur. Starting from his early days as Pope, he tackled global issues such as migration and conflict with compassion and a commitment to the marginalized. One of his first significant actions was a visit to Lampedusa, an Italian island, where he spoke of the Church as a "field hospital" for those suffering amidst international crises. His dedication to humanitarian issues extended to his vocal opposition to mass deportations and urging people, especially in the U.S., not to fear foreigners.

In recent messages, Francis expressed deep concern over global conflicts, shedding light on humanitarian situations like those in Gaza and Ukraine. Through daily communications with a Catholic church in Gaza, he demonstrated his care, even if unable to alleviate the immediate hardships faced by those in war zones. His words on anti-Semitism and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza emphasized a global outlook focused on peace and understanding. He also faced mixed reactions from supporters over his calls for peace in Ukraine, showing the complex landscape of global politics and varying perspectives.

His approach and focus on aiding the poor and disenfranchised were shaped by his experiences during the Argentinian dictatorship and his upbringing in a nation often grappling with poverty and political unrest. Pope Francis’s life and papacy were marked by a devotion to serving others and advocating for those who are often forgotten in times of turmoil.



How Pope Francis brought ‘common touch’ to global conflicts

From his first appearance the son of Italian immigrants struck a different tone. He didn't have on all the bling and his pectoral cross was very plain. I mean he looked a lot like my dad. What set him apart wasn't what he wore but his words and actions. His papacy was marked by a series of international conflicts and crises from the beginning as waves of migrants washed onto the shores of Europe. His first trip was to the small Italian island of Lampedusa to preach compassion. He said that the church should be a field hospital. And if you think of a field hospital, a field hospital is the middle of a war zone and it's looking after those people who are suffering the most. And in 2015 with illegal migration as a growing flashpoint in the U.S. he told Americans not to fear foreigners because most of us were once foreigners. And this February Francis wrote a letter to Catholic bishops describing the mass deportations as a major crisis. He wasn't intimidated by Washington. You know there's this funny thing when you're man of the people, when you don't let your own status sort of get to you then I think also you're not so intimidated by the status of others. That common touch was on display with the Pope's daily phone calls to a Catholic church in the Gaza Strip. Even though it was just a telephone call and it didn't stop the bombing and it didn't bring people back to life or stop people getting hurt or killed, it was nevertheless this idea that someone out there knows what we're going through, somebody cares. The day of his last appearance, Francis released a message warning of growing anti-Semitism but also thinking of the people of Gaza describing the humanitarian situation as deplorable. Francis also prayed for peace in Ukraine, overcome with emotion during this speech in 2022. The white flag. Although his comments in 2024 with a Swiss broadcaster where he called for the courage of the white flag disappointed some supporters. The Catholics in the Ukraine found that they felt very conflicted about that. They didn't think that that phrase captured how much they're fighting for their survival. Francis' focus on the poor and the disenfranchised came from his roots but also difficult lessons he learned as a religious leader during the Argentinian dictatorship. He grew up in a country where, especially in the years he grew up, there was sometimes he would see a lot of poverty, there was sometimes political conflict and it shaped him. Into a life devoted to the service of others.

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Pope Francis Dies