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Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17457234690831745549781791AFP__20250424__43EP4T4__v1__Preview__VaticanReligionPope.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Visitors walk inside St Peter&#x27;s Basilica to pay their respects as late Pope Francis lies in state (C) in The Vatican, on April 24, 2025. The Vatican said on April 24, 2025, that nearly 50,000 people had so far paid their respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state at St Peter&#x27;s Basilica for three days before his funeral. <em>Andreas Solaro, AFP </em></span></span></span></div><p>VATICAN — Pope Francis&#x27;s successor will face a litany of challenges, from the place of women and the LGBTQ community in the Catholic Church, to diplomatic challenges in a conflict-riven world.</p><div><strong>UNITY</strong></div><p>Uniting a divided church will be one of the main tasks facing the new pope.</p><p>During his 12-year-long papacy, Francis often came under fire for his more liberal policies, such as welcoming migrants and restricting the use of the Latin Mass.</p><p>Traditionalists in the United States and Africa in particular were angered by his efforts to give lay people and women a greater role in the Church, and his decision to open the door to blessing same-sex unions.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/26/popes-coffin-arrives-for-burial-at-rome-basilica-1942">Francis laid to rest as 400,000 mourn pope &#x27;with an open heart&#x27;</a></div><p>His successor will have to make peace between the Church&#x27;s conservative and liberal fringes.</p><p>&quot;A pope always brings people together,&quot; Luxembourger Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich told reporters.</p><p>&quot;That unity in the church will be very important. But you don&#x27;t unify the church by going backwards.&quot;</p><div><strong>SEXUAL ABUSE</strong></div><p>Though he brought in a series of measures to combat clerical sexual abuse, victims associations said they were disappointed with Francis, accusing him of not doing enough.</p><p>The issue remains a major challenge for the Church, with the scandals showing no sign of abating.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/26/shared-loss-filipino-catholics-bid-pope-francis-farewell-2105">&#x27;Shared loss&#x27;: Filipino Catholics bid Pope Francis farewell</a></div><p>And it will not be an easy solve. In many African and Asian countries, the subject remains taboo. Even in Europe, Italy has yet to launch an independent investigation into abuse allegations.</p><div><strong>DIPLOMACY</strong></div><p>As well as being leader of the world&#x27;s 1.4 billion Catholics, the pope is the head of the Vatican state.</p><p>His voice carries weight in a world wracked by numerous conflicts, from Ukraine to Gaza and Sudan.</p><p>The pope&#x27;s opinions have consequences.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/26/cardinal-giovanni-battista-re-s-homily-for-the-funeral-of-pope-francis-1912">FULL TEXT: Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re&#x27;s homily for the funeral of Pope Francis</a></div><p>Francis at various times angered Israel, Ukraine, Russia and the United States with his comments on conflicts and immigrants.</p><p>The rise of populist politics, the development of artificial intelligence and the climate emergency are all issues that will demand the pope&#x27;s attention, as will immigration.</p><p>And then there are the delicate relations with China, not least the thorny issue of appointing Catholic bishops in the country.</p><div><strong>WOMEN&#x27;S PLACE</strong></div><p>The place of women in the Church will also continue to spark debate. Francis appointed women to key positions, including in January naming the first woman prefect of a Curia department.</p><p>Hopes that a woman would be named a deacon were dashed, however, at the last world assembly.</p><p>&quot;The role of women certainly depends to a large degree on the cultures the churches belong to and there are many differences, not just from one continent to another, but from one nation to another,&quot; Roberto Regoli, a priest and professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;So it&#x27;s more a cultural than theological question.&quot;</p><div><strong>FEWER PRIESTS</strong></div><p>Francis&#x27;s successor will lead Catholics living in communities around the world.</p><p>The number of faithful is growing in the southern hemisphere but it is declining in Europe.</p><p>And the total number of priests spreading the faith is falling -- albeit slowly.</p><p>Between 2022 and 2023, the number of priests around the world dropped by 0.2 percent to 406,996, despite an uptick in Africa and Asia.</p><p>Though church attendance is different from one region to another, the rise of evangelical churches, particularly in Africa, is creating stiff competition.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/26/marcos-says-attendance-at-pope-francis-funeral-a-gesture-of-deep-respect-from-filipinos-2343">Marcos says attendance at Pope Francis’ funeral ‘a gesture of deep respect‘ from Filipinos</a></div><div><strong>STYLE</strong></div><p>Francis ripped up the rulebook, rejecting luxury, and was at his happiest when mingling with his flock.</p><p>He refused to live in the papal apartments, opting for rooms at a Vatican guest house instead.</p><p>He would make his own phone calls, visit the optician, write his own replies to letters, and accept mate — the traditional herbal infusion from South America — offered to him by pilgrims.</p><p>But he also faced criticism for an authoritarian management style as well as his tendency to speak his mind and go off script, sometimes embarrassing or dismaying aides with his public statements.</p><p>While the next pope will hope to show he too is a people&#x27;s pontiff, the Vatican would doubtless appreciate a Catholic leader better at sticking to the official line.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pc3uOK6IBDU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><strong></strong></div>

<p>Pope Francis's successor will face a litany of challenges, from the place of women and the LGBTQ community in the Catholic Church, to diplomatic challenges in a conflict-riven world.</p>

Pope Francis's successor will face a litany of challenges, from the place of women and the LGBTQ community in the Catholic Church, to diplomatic challenges in a conflict-riven world.

Abuse scandals, disunity and diplomacy: the new pope's challenges

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Abuse scandals, disunity and diplomacy: the new pope's challenges

Agence France-Presse,

Clément Melki

Published April 27, 2025 11:56 AM PHT

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Updated April 27, 2025 12:07 PM PHT

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