As the world Pope Francis consistently called for — one that cared for migrants, safeguarded the health of the planet and protected human rights — collapsed around him in recent years, Francis would react to the newest setback by going quiet.

When Francis was “disappointed by certain political choices that governments are making,” Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister and a close aide to Francis, said, “Silence comes upon him.”

That silence is now permanent. The death of Pope Francis on Monday morning has now deprived the world of a persistent advocate for the downtrodden. As mass deportations become the norm, authoritarianism expands and the alliances that governed the post-World War II era are turned upside down, it is clear that Francis has left behind a world quite unlike the one he joined as pope in 2013.

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

When he first stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis had joined a world stage packed with leaders, including President Barack Obama in the United States and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany, who broadly shared his views. Twelve years later, the pope’s funeral will be attended by a new crop of leaders whose politics align less closely with his own, including President Trump and President Javier Milei of Argentina.

As progressive leaders successively left the world stage, Francis became an increasingly lonely voice in a world that has seemingly become ambivalent about many of his priorities. Now that he is gone, there is no obvious alternative to fill the void.

Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.