Pope Francis marks 10 years as Catholic church head
Pope Francis, the Jesuit and American pope, on Monday, Marks 10 years as the head of the Catholic church.
Pope Francis was appointed head of the Catholic church in November,2013.
He was the first pope to select as his namesake the patron saint of ecology, Pope Francis has expressed concern for creation as a priority of the Catholic Church, and made ecology a central theme of his papacy.
He has faced internal dissent for his reform mission .
African Press said when he appeared at the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on March 13, 2013 in his plain white papal robes, the newly elected Jorge Bergoglio immediately presented an image of a different kind of papacy.
And Francis plan to reform the governance of the Church has met a lot of opposition.
While he has not deviated from some staunch Catholic beliefs, he has called abortion murder and homosexuality a sin.
He has shown a more compassionate and less dogmatic approach, including condemning the persecution of gay people.
“No more demonization of homosexuality, debates on extramarital relations or the contraceptive pill… all that has been taken off the table,” noted Italian Vaticanist Marco Politi.
The 86-year-old pontiff, who is said never to be happier than when among his flock, has advocated for social justice, inter-religious dialogue, the environment and the rights of refugees.
The pope has engaged the Church on issues that are at the heart of Western democracies, such as the environment, education, law.