One could argue that Francis' papacy was more or less aligned with some concerns that leftists love to talk about. To some American Catholics, his tenure wasn’t as rooted in traditional values as one would expect from the Vatican’s Head of State. 

But leftists who never even considered visiting Rome or attending service on a Sunday shouldn’t shouldn’t assume he was a Pope 'meant for them.'

Being progressive in a 2000-year-old institution doesn’t get close to what these leftists think. Actually, they never paid attention, and they’ve always bashed the Church. So if they think that Francis will be remembered in the years to come because he embraced values that leftists deem sacred, well, they’re just plain wrong!

Pope Francis will be forever remembered as a historical figure. Leftists had nothing to do with that.

One should refrain from oversimplifying His Holiness to being merely strictly liberal or conservative. The point of the Pope transcends all that, and instead, he extends the teachings of Catholicism and unifies Catholics around the globe in a more nuanced way.

Another important part of his job, which liberals fail to grasp correctly, is revitalizing the Church’s importance. Today’s young American adults are experiencing great religious turnover.

34% of Gen Z describes themselves as religiously unaffiliated, compared to 25% of Generation X or 18% of Baby Boomers. In a world where the Church is losing traction, one of the biggest challenges for the Pope is to bring the Church back to the minds and hearts of people. This is the true “progressiveness” of the Pope— to maintain the Church progressing into the future, not the “progress” the liberals want to trick us with. 

Contrary to what Liberals tend to say, the Pope made very few changes to Catholic doctrine. Francis did not budge regarding abortion, gender theory, gay marriage, and the ordination of women. Could it be that just because he talked about modern issues, the Liberals want to claim the Pope as their own? 

Liberals are lobbying to push a woke agenda onto the Vatican 

Considering how old the papal candidates tend to be, it is no surprise that Pope Francis would appoint a few cardinals within his papacy. In fact, Francis appointed about 110 out of 135 cardinal electors.

However, Liberals are using these odds to provoke cardinals to choose someone akin to a radical leftist Pope. Not only is this insidious and disrespectful to the most honorable election process of the conclave, but they simply couldn’t be more wrong.

“Historically, no pope has been able to control the election of his successor,” said Miles Pattenden, a Catholic Church historian from Oxford University. Rest assured, the Conclave’s foremost priority is to secure a new Pope capable of spreading faith and hope around the world—not to accommodate the hypocritical whims of the left. 

For those who are well familiarized with the teachings (and not those who have tuned into the conversation as a spur-of-the-moment thing), there is conviction that if a new “progressive” Pope is to be appointed, to further spread the Holy Word in a way attuned to the times. Iacopo Scaramuzzi, a Vatican journalist of the La Repubblica newspaper, wrote:

“Trump, China, nationalists … these are variables that will somehow count … maybe there is a desire for someone more orderly, and less charismatic [than Francis]. Several things can carry weight at the time of the vote, which can either move towards a more progressive or conservative choice”.

But... what should Liberals do about this? Nothing, of course. They don't deserve a say. They don't have a right to lobby for a candidate to lead an institution they only express hate for. (An institution that stands for families, for the well-being of all people, and for so many actually great things that progressives are unhappy about.)

As the conclave draws near, starting on May 7, it is unlikely that Liberals will adopt more sensible and prudent ways. Until then, we await the next announcement with respect, faith, and conviction. Which is precisely what leftists have lacked these last couple of years.