Pope Francis: all you need to know about the Progressive Pontiff

Many have been inspired by Pope Francis' spiritual leadership. Despite his age and health issues, he has remained an active, light-hearted and charismatic leader of the Catholic church.

Alongside his devotion and dedication, Pope Francis has also been spontaneous, humorous and progressive in the modern world. Here are the progressive and important things you need to know about Pope Francis...

Pope Francis is known as a very inclusive leader who's not afraid to tread sensitive dividing lines between ethnicities, nations, and religions. When visiting Israel in 2014, he said a prayer at the barrier that separated Israelis from Palestinians.

In 2021 the Pope traveled to Iraq, a country with multiple religions and a history of civil war. In an attempt to serve as a bridge-builder, Francis met with Ali al-Sistani, "the spiritual leader of millions of Shiite Muslims," as NBC reported. It was said to be the first such meeting between a pope and an Iraqi grand ayatollah.

Integration may be the best word to sum up the legacy of Pope Francis. He's a remarkable Pope because he is open-minded and wants dignity for all - irrespective of religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and social status.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on December 17, 1936. At the age of 76, while he served as cardinal-archbishop for his home city, the College of Cardinals in Rome elected him Pope of the Catholic Church and Head of State of the Vatican.

Argentinians are proud of 'their' Pope who continues to drink the local specialty of maté: a bowl of hot tea with a metal drinking straw that one shares with all the others in one's company.

In his role as Pope, Francis emanates the same image of simplicity that accompanied him throughout his life as a Jesuit. He preferred to keep his old black shoes instead of the red Prada shoes which his predecessor Benedict XVI wore.

Wherever he goes, Francis prefers to wear his white habit and hat, as well as the silver chain on his neck whose crucifix is made of iron.

He lives in the house of Santa Marta and not in the papal flats of the Apostolic Palace. His room has simple furniture that is merely sufficient for his daily life.

Pope Francis spoke on many occasions about redistributing wealth (including among members of the Church itself) and about social equality. At the 2018 Rooster's Mass on Christmas eve, he cited the life of Jesus Christ as an example of a concern for the needy.

Pope Francis also holds religious tolerance in high esteem. He accepts all other religions. Thousands of non-Catholic people travel to Rome in the hope of seeing him.

In 2018, during a multidisciplinary formation for religious leaders, he insisted that "dialogue among the faithful of various religions is a necessary condition for peace in the world."

That same year, Pope Francis shocked the most conservative Christians by surprisingly answering a question asked by an eight-year-old boy. The child's concern was whether his deceased and good father, an atheist, would go to heaven: "It is God who says who goes to heaven," he heard from the Pontiff, who added: "God does not abandon His children".

Pope Francis is also a great environmental activist. In 2015, days before the UN's COP21 in Paris, he called for more responsibility on the part of countries: "there is a great political and economic obligation to rethink and correct dysfunctions and distortions in the current development model."

On that occasion, Pope Francis advocated low-emission energy systems: "There is one choice that cannot be ignored: to improve or destroy the planet." In 2020, he spoke again about the importance of the Paris agreement, right when the United States was discussing its withdrawal from the pact.

In September 2020, during his speech at the 75th UN General Assembly, Pope Francis specified the region of his most recent concern. "I think of the dangerous situation of the Amazon and its indigenous peoples. They remind us that the environmental crisis is closely linked to a social crisis and that care for the environment requires an integrated approach to combat poverty and destruction."

The popularity of Pope Francis is growing every day and another great reason for this is the way he sees people of different kinds. During a press conference in 2016, he said, "When a person with this condition comes before Jesus, he will never say 'go away' because you are homosexual."

In October 2020, a statement by Pope Francis, taken from the documentary 'Francesco,' was even more striking. The Pontiff advocated civil union among homosexual people.

"They are children of God and have a right to a family. No one should be excluded or forced to be unhappy about it... What we have to do is create legislation for civil union. In this way, they are legally covered."

In 2014, during an event at the headquarters of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, he acknowledged that the creation of the world goes beyond its spiritual aspect: "The Big Bang, the scientific theory that today explains the origin of the universe, does not contradict divine creative intervention, on the contrary, it demands it."

Of course, the pope is always on hand to allow the public to video, tweet and snapchat his antics to the ever-reaching social media audience. One particular viral video that made many smile was, during his trip to Mexico, when he decided a tipple of tequila would probably stop his knee being so painful!

It is undeniable that Pope Francis brought fresh air to the Catholic Church. His simple life as a Jesuit and his statements about the environment, science, and gay marriage make him a revolutionary Pope.