When Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, the cardinals from all over the world converged on Rome to select the new pope. The attention of the world was concentrated on four main names (the so-called papabili) in the following order: Joseph Ratzinger, Carlo Mario Martini, Camillo Ruini and Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

The front-runner was Ratzinger. He was the obvious choice having been for many years John Paul II’s right-hand man. Ruini, the papal vicar of Rome, was popular with the Italians but was too much associated with the Vatican Curia to be really attractive to the many cardinals from outside Italy.

Martini, the archbishop of Milan, was the pope who never was. He was a saintly man and a known reformer with strong sympathies towards the aims of Vatican Council II. However, Martini was already 78 in 2005 and in poor health. Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, was known to be a doctrinal traditonalist with a controversial past.

A few days before the conclave met in April 2005 a secret dossier arrived in the Vatican prepared by an Argentine human-rights lawyer, Marcelo Parrilli, charging Bergoglio with involvement as provincial superior of the Society of Jesus in Argentina in the kidnapping on May 23, 1976, by the military junta in power at the time of two Jesuit priests working with the poor in the slums of the capital. It would be recalled after that Bergoglio had dismissed the two priests from the society a few days before their kidnapping took place for disobeying his order to cease working in the slums. Obedience is a key virtue for Jesuits.

The work of the two priests was considered by many in the Church, including the Vatican Curia, as evidence of support for the liberation theology with its suspicious advocacy of revolution to end South America’s endemic exploitation of the poor. Lawyer Parrilli in his hard-hitting dossier claimed that in dismissing the two priests Bergoglio had given the green light to the military to carry out their odious work.

The two priests were held and tortured in prison for five months before being released permanently damaged in mind and body.

Pope Francis oozes confidence that comes from his nearness to God

Author Paul Vallely in his book Pope Francis – Untying Knots speaks of a whole transformation in Bergoglio in his middle age. Bergoglio himself commented that “religious truth does not change, but it does develop and grow”. Vallely states external events played a part in changing Bergoglio. “So did regular contact with the poorest of the poor in the slums of Buenos Aires.” Bergoglio made a life journey, like all of us do, but in his case it was a journey of humility and understanding. Deep in his soul he arrived at a similar understanding of social justice as the two priests he had dismissed so unceremoniously years before. After the tortious internal journey, Bergoglio was a new man now ready to become the Pope we have come to admire.

From the very first day as Pope Francis he declined the traditional ornamental papal vestments and instead opted for a plain white cassock with a silk sash. He declined also the jewel-studded gold pectoral cross for his old pewter-coloured cross that he had always worn since auxiliary bishop in Argentina.

He then refused to wear the red shoes but preferred his old battered, but comfortable, black shoes. Instead of living in the glittering papal apartments in the Vatican he returned to his bare room in the Casa Santa Marta. The name he took as Pope – Francis (after St Francis of Assisi) – showed where his heart was.

“Pray for me,” he told the surprised crowd as he held his hands in prayer on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square in his first appearance there. The crowd held its breath and then broke into riotous applause.

Vallely states that the life story of Pope Francis shows us a man who is aware that he has made mistakes, and has gone through difficult times of personal transformation. The transformation has made him one of us. He is not on a pedestal dictating. He does not look for division but for understanding and mercy.

There is always a place for everyone in Francis’s concept, much as God in his infinite kindness desires. “Who am I to judge?” he remarked to surprised journalists on the plane taking him back to Rome from a trip in Brazil. The topic was homosexuality which up to then was a no-go area in Catholic circles.

Pope Francis oozes confidence that comes from his nearness to God. He has devoted much prayer and given much effort and thought on the question of the family. He has already made powerful gestures since he was elected pope in that direction. He has, however, raised the anger of traditonalists by some of his remarks but he has also given hope to many Catholic families living in different circumstances than others that they can also be a legitimate part of the Church. This might be the most important test for Francis that will even define his papacy.