Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio) has been navigating a complicated landscape of international politics since his 2013 inauguration. His outspoken opinions have garnered both praise and criticism. Francis, who took over the position after the historic resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, has used it to promote human rights, ecumenism between Christian denominations and environmental stewardship. He is echoing St. Francis’ values.
He quickly gained the title of “the People’s Pope” for his progressive views on environmental issues and the role of women within the Church. The Time is Right The magazine Person of the year in 2013. Some saw in his leadership an important revitalization of the Catholic Church for the 21st century.
Pope Francis’ engagement on global issues has also sparked controversy, especially in relation to immigration policies, the Russia-Ukraine War, and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
Pope Francis and global political issues
Donald Trump and Immigration
Pope Francis has often criticized restrictive immigration policies. His disagreement with the former U.S. Presiden Donald Trump’s border security approach is one prominent example. Pope Francis rebuked then-candidate Trump in 2016 for his proposal to build the wall along the U.S. Mexico border. He said that it was not Christian.
This statement has caused a lot of backlash, especially from conservatives. It highlights the differences in opinions surrounding immigration.
Russia-Ukraine War
Vatican officials have consistently offered to be a mediator in negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and other countries. Pope Francis’s comments about the Russia-Ukraine War have been scrutinized. His early suggestion that NATO expansion to the east may have “provoked Russia”, especially from Ukrainian officials, sparked criticism.
The Pope’s March 2024 call to Ukraine for it to show “courage with a white flag” in order that they can negotiate with Moscow caused further controversy. Ukrainian officials including the then Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba strongly rejected that suggestion and stressed Ukraine’s determination to defend its sovereignty. Ukrainian Ambassador to Vatican compared the comments of Pope Francis to Adolf Hitler’s calls to capitulate during World War II. This shows the intense disagreement.
Gaza Conflict
Pope Francis called repeatedly for a Gaza ceasefire and criticized Israel’s military action during the current conflict. Pope Francis, following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2012 and the subsequent Israeli bombardment on Gaza, criticized “the appalling harvest innocent civilians.”
Israeli officials strongly condemned his comments in December 2024 after excerpts from autobiography implied that Israel’s acts could be described as “genocide”. Amichai Chikli the Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs, said that the pope’s comments amounted to a “trivialization of the term ‘genocide'”. Pope Francis, during his speech in 2025, deplored the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He called it “shameful”, highlighting the destructive impact of the war on civilians and children. It led to more diplomatic tensions with Israel accusing the Palestinian government of using “double standard” in the Gaza conflict.
Shifting Popularity
Pope Francis’s active involvement in these controversial global issues along with the Vatican‘s handling financial matters and ongoing scandals of Church sexual abuse has had an impact on his popularity. Pew Research Center’s study of 2024 shows 75% U.S. Catholics view Pope Francis favorably, a drop from his previous popularity peak of 90%. The Pew Study revealed that Democrats viewed Francis with more favor than Republicans, further highlighting this divide.
In Latin America there has been a decline in the popularity of Pope Francis, with Argentina being his home country.
Diverse Perspectives
Many argue, despite the criticisms that Pope Francis is still a respected global figure, especially outside of the United States.” Christopher Vallely has written works like Pope Francis Untying KnotsThe article stresses that Pope Francis has been “extremely popular” and critics often come from the far right who want to return to old-style Catholic models.
Kimberly Clifford points out that sexual abuse crises are damaging to the church’s appeal. The crisis of abuse in which too many bishops were willing to put the financial and reputational interests of the Church before the protection of vulnerable people has revealed a worrying failure in church governance, and disaffected many Catholics, she stated. Francis has also worked to confront the realities of these crises.
The Future
Pope Francis, who is approaching what could be his final years as pope, continues to show that he’s not going to back down from complex issues around the world and will use his platform to act as an authority on moral matters.