Pope Francis represented a significant break from previous Popes. Although of Italian descent, the Pope comes from Latin America and this has clearly shaped his more liberal perspective and general worldview. His background in Argentina – a country where Indigenous communities suffered greatly - may also help the Pope with his visit of reconciliation to Canada next week, as he looks to mend bridges with Indigenous communities there.
While it is often remarked upon that the College of Cardinals increasingly reflects the Pope’s more liberal leanings and represents an attempt by the Pontiff to secure his legacy, (a sizeable majority of those who are eligible to vote in a conclave were appointed by the Pope), it is an obviously less European affair now as well, perhaps befitting for a Church whose membership is increasingly concentrated in the Americas and Global South.
