Description: The death of Pope Francis has left the world without an individual who was labeled as the most progressive conflict mediator, humanitarian and a pioneer for peace and equality in the world. His global contribution ranged beyond the traditional religious boundaries set by his predecessors exemplified in his efforts to end global wars such as the ones in Ukraine and Gaza. The Pope was also heavily invested in promoting the rights of marginalized groups such as the migrants and the vast majority of poor people and the ones suffering the consequences of large humanitarian crises across the globe. The influence he projected over global issues was unlike any other projection of unilateral state interests and left the world without a figure that could defend the foundations of humanity in times of intensified global crises.
Impact: Pope Francis’ death is most certainly an impactful occurrence since his outreach as the capital representative of the Catholic Church went beyond the borders of religion or defense of state sponsored interests. Francis was invested in establishing ties with world leaders in spreading messages in the name of humanism, solidarity and support for the downtrodden groups of people. His rule was also touched on by tackling significant scandals within the Church, such as pedophilia, sexual abuse and child molestation, which left a stain on his term as the leader of the Catholic Church. With his successor set to be chosen in the next couple of weeks, the death of the Pope leaves a global gap in international relations which would be hard to replicate in the upcoming years, as religion and politics converge in Vatican City.