The Catholic Church, with its worldwide membership of 1.2 billion people, stands as the largest organized religious entity unbound by borders, exerting significant political and economic influence akin to a large nation. Throughout history, from the Medieval period to the present, it has been a formidable force, often shaping political tensions and policies of the ruling class in Europe. The Vatican, though the smallest state in terms of territory, wields demographic power surpassing many nations, with a population three times greater than that of the United States. It maintains a state department and an intelligence service, considered by some experts to be the world's best, to closely monitor global events and protect its interests, deeply tied to the world unlike the Church of God. Historically conservative in moral teachings, the Catholic Church has often taken sides in warfare, leading to conflicts with European royalty. In recent decades, it has been viewed as anti-Communist, anti-dictatorship, pro-Republican, and pro-capitalist. However, under Pope Francis, this stance appears to be reversing, with policies shifting rapidly toward what he calls a church for the poor, embracing liberation theology. This marks a stark contrast to the efforts of Pope John Paul II, who, alongside Cardinal Ratzinger—later Pope Benedict—sought to eliminate liberation theology, deemed a heresy, particularly in Latin America. Cardinal Ratzinger, a conservative German and head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, enforced strict discipline, removing around 500 priests for heresy or involvement in scandals before his resignation, the first in Catholic history, seemingly to make way for Pope Francis's more liberal approach. This shift, highlighted in Pope Francis's recent address Evangelii Gaudium, indicates a significant leftward swing in Catholic Church policy.

When Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation from the papacy, very few had seen it coming. The Bavarian pope cited his declining health as the main reason for leaving his office, stating that his strengths due to advanced age were no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. Many knew that the 85-year-old pontiff's health had deteriorated of late, but no Vatican observer ever thought that he would step down especially because no pope had resigned from office since 1415, when Gregory XII ended his nine-year papacy. Benedict XVI's voluntary resignation is only the third such resignation in the nearly 2,000 years since Roman bishops have ruled the Catholic Church. Benedict had been toying with resignation for almost four years. Visiting the earthquake-stricken Italian city of L'Aquila in 2009, he left his pallium, the woollen band that is a symbol of the papal office, at the tomb of Celestine V, a reluctant pope who resigned in 1294 to pray. In 2010 he said that a pope who became unable to do his job properly has the right, and in some circumstances even the duty, to resign. And so he did, retiring initially to the Papal Palace in Castel Gandolfo, and later to the newly refurbished Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican. Considered by many in the media as far too conservative and boring, Benedict's papacy has been reported as having been a failure. The truth is that, overall, his pontificate was quite successful. He steadfastly defended Catholic doctrine, as would be expected from the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Church's doctrinal enforcement agency. He preserved his office and Church against the relativistic and progressive attitudes and ideas that so dominate today's world. Though the Vatican suffered a handful of scandals during his administration, Benedict did not allow them to soften his beliefs or approach. His holding the line against such staunch opposition obviously took its toll on his health and strength. He has been succeeded by 76-year-old Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the son of Italian immigrants. The new pope, the first Jesuit to wear the papal mitre, chose the name Francis in honor of Francis of Assisi because he is especially concerned for the welfare of the poor. Of Francis of Assisi, Bergoglio once expressed that he brought to Christianity an idea of poverty against the luxury, pride, vanity of the civil and ecclesiastical powers of the time and changed history. His admiration for the founder of the Franciscan Order may portend how he will frame his papacy. By all accounts, Pope Francis is a mild-mannered, soft-spoken man of the people who is known for his sense of humor. He has a well-earned reputation for holiness and humility. In the dozen years that he was head of the Catholic Church in Argentina, he never lived in the ecclesiastical mansion but shared an apartment in downtown Buenos Aires with an elderly priest, heating the place with a small stove. He took public transportation and cooked his own meals. He regularly visited the city's slums and washed the feet of the poor, the sick, the elderly, or the imprisoned every Maundy Thursday. In 2011, he did this for newborns and pregnant women. As his papacy begins, he has not changed his habits in this regard. He has a no frills style that endears him to the public yet exasperates his Vatican handlers. Just after being elected, he chose to take the bus with his fellow cardinals back to his hotel rather than the papal car, and the next day, he picked up his own luggage and paid the bill himself. He has refused to take up residence in the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, preferring to live in the Vatican guest house, though he has conceded to an upgrade, a suite of rooms where he can conduct meetings and receive visitors. On his first Maundy Thursday as pope, he continued his practice of footwashing, washing and kissing the feet of twelve juv