On April 21, 2025, the world mourned the passing of Pope Francis, who died in Rome at the age of 88, concluding a twelve-year pontificate that reshaped the Catholic Church’s engagement with the modern world. From his landmark visit to Malta in April 2022—where he implored the nation to combat corruption and honour the dignity of every person—to his global campaigns for workers’ rights and against exploitation, Francis leaves a legacy defined by compassion and moral clarity.

A pontificate of renewal

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Francis was elected pope in March 2013 and immediately signalled a new era of simplicity, emphasis on mercy, and outreach to the peripheries of society. He rewrote the style of papal leadership by living modestly, washing prisoners’ feet, and consistently prioritizing the poor and marginalized.

A clarion call in valletta

In April 2022, Malta hosted Pope Francis for a two-day apostolic visit, originally planned for 2020 but delayed by the pandemic.

Addressing Malta’s authorities and diplomatic corps on April 2, 2022, Francis warned that unbridled construction, land speculation, and political dishonesty threaten the common good, exhorting Maltese leaders to “fight the cancer of corruption” with unwavering resolve. He invoked Malta’s heritage of hospitality—echoing the welcome given to St. Paul—as a model for transparent governance and ethical leadership.

A global crusade

This call in Malta was part of a broader papal denunciation of corruption worldwide: in Prato in 2015, Italy, he urged an end to “the cancer of human and worker exploitation” and the “venom” of graft in society; at the United Nations, he decried irresponsible economic practices that breed inequality, usury, and impunity.

Defender of workers and the marginalized

Pope Francis consistently championed workers’ rights, denouncing “the idolatry of money” and insisting that “money must serve, not rule”. In speeches to industrial workers—most famously in Prato—he condemned inhumane conditions, recalled textile workers killed in factory fires, and urged solidarity with all workers.

Standing against exploitation

Beyond specific nations, Francis lamented the “scourge of child labour” in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and decried servile labour in diamond mines, calling for an end to every form of human exploitation. He reminded diplomats that “economic stability must be ensured for all, so as to avoid the scourge of exploitation and to combat the usury and corruption that afflict many countries”.

Legacy of compassion and moral witness

Pope Francis leaves behind a Church reoriented toward the margins: from migrants in Ħal Far to workers in Prato, his voice was a constant reminder of the Gospel’s preferential option for the poor. In Malta, his 2022 visit catalyzed renewed public discourse on transparency and social justice, a testament to his ability to inspire both spiritual renewal and civic responsibility.

As the world reflects on his passing, Francis’s legacy endures in the countless lives he touched—urging societies everywhere to build a civilization of love where no person is “considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded”. His memory will continue to galvanize efforts against corruption and exploitation, and to safeguard the dignity of every worker, migrant, and vulnerable soul.