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Clough School of Theology and Ministry Dean Michael McCarthy, S.J.: "If there is one consistent theme of Francis’ papacy, it is the centrality of discipleship. Christians are called to go forth into the world from their own comfort zones to what Francis calls 'peripheries' that need the light of the Gospel. His understanding of Church too reflects this sense of mission to go forth into the world with a desire to show God’s own mercy.   

"There are so many aspects to his legacy: his encyclical on our common home, his desire to create in the Church a 'cultural of encounter,' and his call for a more 'synodal' Church. I think we are still in the process of learning what it means for the Church to be 'synodal.' But I am inspired by its vision that begins with the early disciples’ encounter with the risen Jesus in the upper room, whose spirit continues to enliven the People of God to this day and empowers us to find ways build unity among our many differences."

Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Canisius Professor James F. Keenan, S.J., director of the Jesuit Institute: "Pope Francis's papacy has been a game changer.  On the doors of St Peters is a bronze scene of Pope John XXIII sticking his hands through prison bars grasping the hands of prisoners with the words, 'You couldn't come to see me, so I came to see you.'  Pope Francis effectively made that scene a catalyst for his own papal agenda. He met everyone everywhere.

"I met Pope Francis three times. The first time was a near hour that he met with me and six other theological ethicists, the leadership of our network, . What was striking was the number of times that he knew about a matter that we referred to; he would add, 'you see, I know what's going on.'

"His vigilance about global matters has been remarkable, becoming not just the pope for Catholics but for the world.  It will be hard for anyone to follow in his shoes. 

"His legacy in the world will be notable.  His encyclical Laudato 'Si will continue to be appropriated by major communities, from nation states to international organizations to universities.

"His legacy in the church will be his promotion of the synodal method of broad-based consultation and leadership. 

"His successor will be faced with what remains undone, most significantly the lack of any real imaginative inclusion of women into the ministerial leadership of the Church.  With the designations of Mary the Mother of Jesus as 'first disciple' and Mary Magdalen as 'the Apostle of the Apostles,' along with a long tradition of women deacons in the Church, his successors should be able to recognize the need to understand that earlier generations already instantiated such forms of service leadership."

Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life Director and Professor of Theology Mark Massa, S.J.: "Pope Francis cashed the check that the Second Vatican Council made out to the Church. That is, the Council called for a Church committed to compassion, community, and a more democratic vision of governance. Francis has done this brilliantly by calling for synods that included women and lay people, as well as bishops and priests. His vision of a synodal church, in which important decisions about church presence and policy would be shaped by open conversation (and even debate), is based on a clear understanding of how the early church in the first two or three centuries actually worked, and is well grounded in Catholic theology and history. Likewise, his call for a Church committed to caring for those 'on the margins' is based on a deep commitment to the vision of Vatican II and to core Jesuit values, among the chief of which is being men and women for others. I would say that it is the most important pontificate since Pope John XXIII."

Joseph Chair in Theology Kristin Heyer, co-editor of : "From his initial stated desire for 'a Church which is poor and for the poor' to his recent letter to the U.S. bishops on mass deportations, Pope Francis’ papacy has been marked by a prophetic commitment to those most marginalized. The world witnessed countless examples of the pontiff’s commitment to the poor in word and deed; his first trip outside of Rome to the island of Lampedusa well reflected themes repeated throughout his papacy—he planned it after being visited by the suffering of migrants dying at sea like a 'thorn in the heart' and prophetically indicted the apathy not just of the 'world' but of the 'Church' as well, repenting himself. His focus there on the globalization of indifference, the structural nature of sin, and affective dimensions of conversion persisted across various dimensions of his pastoral and teaching ministries.

"Francis offered a revolutionary way of being Church through his emphases on responsive listening, mercy, contextual realities, and pastorality, rather than a retreat to modes more defined by circumscribing clarity or purity. His legacy will depend less on his appointments, promulgated teachings, or successor, and more on the extent his work shapes the entire people of God. The engagement modeled by the Synod on Synodality, the invitation to discernment, and confrontation of reality’s complexities offer promising signs of longer-term appropriation of the 'revolution' going forward, but only if the faithful are willing to embrace Francis’s call in their own lives. In particular, Francis’s legacy will be sustained by those responding to his call to a renewed concern for the poor and marginalized, a greater tolerance for the ambiguity of complexity, and a deeper attentiveness to structural influences.

"Under Francis’s papacy we found a renewed emphasis on dialogue and the inclusively communal nature of the search for truth, whether in his emphases on a culture of accompaniment, his desire that shepherds take on the smell of sheep, the synods he convened, or his own example (e.g., interreligious dialogue, boundary-crossing in Holy Thursday rites, and more mundane encounters). Pope Francis’s appointments to the college of cardinals further signaled his commitment to engaging global voices reflective of the global church and will directly shape the future. His charge to engage existential extremities has implications for our university context, as well: in his apostolic exhortation on promoting theology, Ad theologiam promovendam, he called theological reflection to a 'courageous cultural revolution' toward contextual methods that interpret the Gospel anew amid different geographical, social, and cultural environments. His legacy in that regard may be that an 'outgoing theology' will correspond to an 'outgoing church,' one that advances critical knowledge developed in prayer and in dialogue with other disciplines and traditions.

"On a personal level, I was deeply moved when, during a 2017 audience with Francis with other members of the Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church planning committee, he concluded our meeting that had been marked by receptivity, support, theological reflection—and jokes about whiskey dispensations for St. Patrick’s Day!—by thanking us for our work forging international connections and then thanking us for our courage. Both seem aptly reflective of his inspiring papacy."

Professor of History Oliver Rafferty, S.J.: "Some of Pope Francis’s encyclicals made a major impact, especially Laudato Si’, which calls for renewed emphasis on human dignity, special care for the poor, and care for the natural environment.

"In particular, there is the part about caring for the poor: He said they require dignity, not pity or hand-outs—they need jobs, they need the dignity of work. In the context of modern income inequality, that’s a compelling message, and it’s built on traditional Catholic social teaching.

"Even as he addressed the world at large on multifaceted, complex issues, Francis could offer care on a more personal basis. There is a small Catholic community in Gaza, and during the war in Gaza Francis would phone them every day. The encouragement he gave was an extraordinary commitment of time, and that will stand as a testament to his concern for the individual."