Pope Francis's great testament, the Synod of Synodality.

 After twelve years of an intense pontificate, which left no one indifferent, Pope Francis has passed away. It is a good time to thank God for this Pope, who has opened doors and paths that will undoubtedly mark the life of the Church in the coming years. There are doors that, once opened, are difficult to close. And paths that point in a direction that perhaps the deceased Pope was unable to follow as he would have wished, but which are there, inviting others to follow them.

All Popes have had their admirers and their critics. Since the present leaves a greater mark on us than the past, it might seem that both Francis's admirers and critics have been louder than those of previous Popes. I don't think so. It just so happens that today, with social media, news, sometimes fake, spreads very quickly and with much shouting. John XXIII was also simultaneously admired and criticized. He was hailed as the "Good Pope," but it was also said that it would take at least a hundred years to undo the mess that was the Second Vatican Council.

Francis has been a good continuator of that Council, aware that we are no longer in the 1960s, but in new times, with new problems, or with the same old problems exacerbated: immigration, poverty, inequality, war. The Pope took sides from the outset, recalling that the Gospel is good news for all, but that the poor are its privileged recipients, and that by serving them, we are serving Christ himself.

Two words could characterize this pontificate: encounter and mercy. Encounter with God, of course, and encounter with every human being, who is a sacrament of God, in their specific reality of difficulty. Encounter above all with those who are distant, to make it very clear to them that the doors of the Church are open to them. This requires welcome, hospitality, attentive listening. And embracing people with mercy. Mercy that must also be applied when administering the sacraments, that of reconciliation, of course. But also the other sacraments: because the Church, as the Pope said, is not a customs house, but a house with open doors.

Are there still things to be done? Naturally. But this Pope has achieved one thing: opening paths of dialogue, opening doors so that everyone can be heard. Today, we can speak normally about a series of topics that once seemed taboo: the role of women in the Church and their presence in government positions, the need to overcome clericalism, lay ministries, seeking realistic solutions to the lack of priests, welcoming those who feel excluded and misunderstood because of their human or family situation, the need for a Vatican Curia in which service is decisive. Surely, many issues that are currently in the spotlight still need to mature and be tested. It remains important that we listen to one another, that we can speak without disqualifying one another. Synodality is the very essence of the Church. Possibly Francis's great testament was the Synod of Synodality.