Pope Francis was a man whose experience of the mercy of God profoundly shaped his entire life and deeply marked his twelve-year pontificate. He desired nothing more than to share with the world what he had found, the joy of the Good News of Jesus Christ. He will always be remembered for his manifest humility, simplicity of life, and tireless love for the poor. Those virtues, however, are not what made him such a remarkable and distinctive pope. What made Francis distinct was a quality much rarer in a bishop of Rome: He was a disrupter.
For this, too — perhaps especially for this — he will be remembered. From the early days of his pontificate it was clear that he had it in mind to shake things up. Hagan lio! (“Make a mess!”) was among his favorite exhortations, particularly when speaking to young people. And he practiced what he preached.
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