Pope Francis: Innovations and the “Woke” Label

Before delving into the detailed analysis, it’s important to note that Pope Francis, who recently died in April 2025, left behind a complex legacy that both frustrated conservatives and disappointed progressives. While labeled as “woke” by critics, his positions on doctrine remained traditionally Catholic even as his pastoral approach and social justice priorities sparked controversy.

The “Woke” Label: Origins and Perspectives

The characterization of Pope Francis as “woke” emerged primarily from conservative circles who viewed his papacy as representing a leftward shift in the Catholic Church. This label warrants examination to understand the tension within Catholicism during his pontificate.

Conservative Criticisms

Conservative critics, particularly within Catholic media, characterized Francis’s approach as promoting a “culture of deconstruction” that sought to “wipe the slate clean of the past”17. Hours after the pope’s death, Father Gerald Murray on Fox News criticized what he called Francis’s “leftward radical movement in the church,” questioning whether the church should “continue in a basically, sad to say, woke direction”19.

Murray specifically pointed to Francis’s positions on homosexuality, divorce, and remarriage as problematic departures from tradition, claiming “Pope Francis basically when he came in said, let’s make a mess”19. Conservative outlets like FSSPX News expressed dismay at Francis’s harsh criticism of those attracted to the pre-conciliar Mass, viewing this as part of a broader pattern of progressive ideology17.

Nuanced Perspectives

However, other analyses suggest a more complex reality. The London Review of Books noted that “Both sides of the culture war profited from caricatures of Francis as Pope Woke. The reality was less clear-cut. He distrusted the liberal impulse to make the church a vague, hand-wringing Roman branch of the human rights campaign”3.

Some commentators characterized Francis more precisely as “a leftist who happens to be progressive on political, economic, and pastoral issues, but moderately conservative when it comes to Church doctrine”20. This assessment acknowledges his traditional positions on core doctrine while recognizing his progressive approach to social issues.

Major Innovations of Pope Francis’s Papacy

Pope Francis implemented numerous significant changes during his twelve-year pontificate, many of which contributed to the perception of him as progressive or “woke.”

Reform of the Roman Curia

One of Francis’s most substantial structural reforms was the reorganization of the Vatican bureaucracy through the apostolic constitution “Praedicate evangelium” (Preach the Gospel), promulgated in March 202214. This document replaced Pope John Paul II’s “Pastor bonus” of 1988 and represented the fifth major reform of the Roman Curia in Church history.

The most significant innovation in this reform was the establishment of a new Dicastery for Evangelization, directly presided over by the Pope himself184. This reorganization reflected Francis’s emphasis on missionary work and evangelization as the core purpose of the Church.

The reform also opened leadership positions to laypeople, marking a notable departure from tradition. This included the appointment of the first lay person, Dr. Paolo Ruffini, to head the Dicastery for Communication, the appointment of Sister Simona Brambilla as the first woman Prefect of a dicastery, and Sister Raffaella Petrini as the first woman Governor of Vatican City4.

Financial Reform

Upon becoming pope, Francis tackled financial scandals that had plagued the Vatican for years. In 2014, he established the Secretariat for the Economy, a dicastery with authority over all economic activities of the Holy See and Vatican City State15.

Cardinal George Pell was named the first Prefect, and Francis also created a Council for the Economy to set policy guidelines and analyze the secretariat’s work15. This represented Francis’s commitment to transparency and accountability in Vatican finances, addressing longstanding concerns about financial impropriety.

Approach to LGBTQ+ Issues

Perhaps no area generated more controversy than Francis’s approach to LGBTQ+ Catholics. While maintaining traditional Catholic doctrine on sexuality and marriage, his pastoral approach and rhetoric marked a significant shift in tone.

In 2013, Francis famously responded “Who am I to judge?” when asked about gay priests, marking a historic moment as many interpreted this as a softening of the Church’s stance19. In 2023, he stated that “Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” the first time a pope had discussed the legal implications of homosexuality globally1.

Most significantly, in December 2023, the Vatican released “Fiducia Supplicans” (Supplicating Trust), which allows Catholic priests to perform “spontaneous blessings” of same-sex couples as well as unmarried heterosexual couples12. While maintaining that these blessings are neither sacraments nor rites and do not legitimize same-sex unions, this document represented a notable pastoral shift that angered conservatives112.

Environmental Advocacy

Francis published “Laudato si'” (Praise Be to You) in 2015, the first papal encyclical entirely devoted to environmental issues9. This groundbreaking document combined theological reflections on care for creation with calls for political action against climate change.

The encyclical is credited with helping build consensus for the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, where 196 countries signed a treaty pledging to keep global warming below 2°C9. Francis’s environmental advocacy positioned the Catholic Church as a leading moral voice on climate action.

Approach to Marriage and Family

Francis’s 2016 apostolic exhortation “Amoris laetitia” (The Joy of Love) addressed pastoral care for families and sparked controversy regarding whether it changed the Church’s sacramental discipline for divorced and remarried Catholics8.

He also reformed the marriage annulment process through the motu proprio “Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus,” making the process more accessible and less time-consuming11. This reform emphasized the role of local bishops in marriage cases, consistent with Francis’s broader emphasis on decentralization.

Amazon Synod and Indigenous Peoples

The 2019 Synod on the Amazon region represented Francis’s commitment to peripheral regions of the global Church and to environmental concerns. The synod’s final document proposed numerous innovations, including the possibility of an Amazonian rite that would express “the liturgical, theological, disciplinary, and spiritual heritage of the Amazon”16.

The synod also proposed the establishment of an Amazonian Catholic University and called for the Church to take stronger positions on environmental protection in the region16. These proposals reflected Francis’s openness to diverse cultural expressions of Catholicism.

Protection of Minors

In response to the abuse crisis, Francis established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in 2014 as an advisory agency7. Since June 2022, this commission has been part of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, operating within that structure to promote protection of minors and vulnerable adults7.

Conclusion

Pope Francis’s papacy was marked by significant innovations that sought to make the Church more missionary, pastoral, and attuned to contemporary challenges. The “woke” label applied to him reflects the polarization within both the Church and broader society, as his emphasis on mercy, inclusion, and social justice was interpreted variously as either a betrayal of tradition or an insufficient reform.

His legacy reveals the tension in modern Catholicism between maintaining doctrinal continuity and responding to changing social realities. While Francis maintained core Catholic teachings, his pastoral approach, particularly toward marginalized groups, his environmental advocacy, and his critiques of capitalism generated both deep admiration and fierce opposition. As one analysis aptly noted, his was “a dramatic papacy, frustrating conservatives and progressives alike. Beloved by the faithful, he leaves behind a divided Church”13.