On the first anniversary of the death of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the National Catholic Register, in collaboration with EWTN News Vatican, published a hagiographic retrospective titled “Remembering Pope Francis: 9 Moments That Defined His Legacy.” This article, dated April 21, 2026, presents a sanitized and triumphalist narrative of the 12-year pontificate of the man who occupied the Chair of Peter as “Pope Francis.” However, when viewed through the lens of integral Catholic faith—the immutable doctrine, liturgy, and moral teaching of the true Church prior to the modernist revolution initiated by John XXIII—this “legacy” is revealed not as a period of renewal, but as a systematic and catastrophic acceleration of apostasy, the dismantling of Catholic identity, and the enthronement of humanitarianism and naturalism over the supernatural mission of the Church.
The Illusion of “Firsts”: A Church of Novelty, Not Tradition
The article opens by celebrating Bergoglio’s election as a series of “firsts”: the first Latin American, the first Jesuit, the first to choose the name Francis. This emphasis on novelty is itself a symptom of the modernist disease. The true Church does not seek “firsts” or “shifts” from historical norms; she is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Tim 3:15), unchanging in her doctrine, worship, and governance. The article notes that his first appearance “broke with convention: no traditional vestments, no grand proclamations — just a quiet ‘buona sera’ and a request that the crowd pray for him before he blessed them.” This was not humility; it was a deliberate act of despising the sacred symbols of the papacy, a visual declaration that the occupant of the Vatican no longer wished to be seen as the Vicar of Christ, but as a humble parish priest or a secular leader. It was the beginning of the systematic emptying of the papacy of its sacred character, reducing it to a platform for personal opinions and global activism. St. Pius X, in Lamentabili sane exitu (1907), condemned the modernist proposition that “the pursuit of novelty in the investigation of the foundations of things leads in our times to deplorable consequences, abandoning all restraint” (Prologue). Bergoglio’s entire pontificate was a pursuit of novelty, a “shift away from a historically Eurocentric Church,” which is nothing less than a shift away from the Church’s universal, supernatural, and Roman identity towards a globalized, secularized, and anthropocentric institution.
Laudato Si’: The Encyclical of Naturalism and Pantheistic Undertones
The article praises Laudato Si’ for positioning the Church as a “major moral voice in the global climate conversation.” This is precisely the problem. The Church’s mission is not to be a “moral voice” in secular debates, but to preach the Gospel, administer the sanctifying sacraments, and lead souls to eternal salvation. Pius IX, in the Syllabus of Errors (1864), condemned the proposition that “the Church has not the power of defining dogmatically that the religion of the Catholic Church is the only true religion” (No. 21) and that “the Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization” (No. 80). Laudato Si’ is a document steeped in the errors condemned by Pius IX. It frames environmental destruction as a “spiritual and ethical crisis tied to inequality and human dignity,” effectively reducing the supernatural order to the natural order. The Earth is called “our common home,” a phrase that echoes the pantheistic and naturalistic errors condemned in the Syllabus (No. 1: “God is identical with the nature of things… all things are God and have the very substance of God”). The encyclical’s call for “collective responsibility across nations and religions” is a direct contradiction of the Church’s teaching that she alone is the ark of salvation, and that there is no salvation outside the Church (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus). This is not Catholic social teaching; it is humanitarianism dressed in religious language, a betrayal of the supernatural mission of the Church.
Address to Congress: The Gospel of Social Justice, Not of Christ the King
The article highlights Bergoglio’s 2015 address to the U.S. Congress, where he spoke about “immigration, economic inequality, and the moral responsibilities of political leadership,” referencing Martin Luther King Jr. and Dorothy Day. This is a classic example of the modernist reduction of the Gospel to a message of social justice. The true Church teaches that the primary purpose of civil society is to recognize the kingship of Christ, as Pius XI unequivocally stated in Quas Primas (1925): “The state is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men… The state must leave the same freedom to the members of Orders and Congregations… who are indeed the most valiant helpers of the Pastors of the Church and contribute most to the expansion and establishment of Christ’s Kingdom.” Bergoglio’s message was not about establishing the Kingdom of Christ, but about promoting a secular vision of “justice and human dignity” divorced from the supernatural order. His reference to Martin Luther King Jr., a Protestant, and Dorothy Day, a socialist, is emblematic of the false ecumenism and religious indifferentism condemned by Pius IX (Syllabus, No. 17: “Good hope at least is to be entertained of the eternal salvation of all those who are not at all in the true Church of Christ”). The Church does not seek to “promote the common good” in a naturalistic sense; she seeks to lead souls to the supernatural good of eternal life with God.
World Day of the Poor: Charity Without the Supernatural
The establishment of the World Day of the Poor is presented as a moment of profound charity. However, true Catholic charity is always ordered towards the supernatural good of the soul. The Church has always cared for the poor, but she has never reduced her mission to mere social work. The article notes that the purpose of the event is to “encourage Catholics to reflect on how poverty is an important aspect of the Gospel and to encounter the poor.” But what is the Gospel according to Bergoglio? It is a gospel of encounter, of dialogue, of social inclusion—not a gospel of repentance, conversion, and the necessity of the sacraments for salvation. The true Church teaches that the greatest act of charity is to lead a soul to the knowledge of the true God and to the grace of the sacraments. Bergoglio’s “encounter with the poor” is a naturalistic gesture, devoid of the supernatural dimension that gives Catholic charity its true meaning. It is the charity of the world, not the charity of Christ.
Confronting the Abuse Crisis: Justice Without Doctrine
The article credits Bergoglio with “confronting the clergy sexual abuse crisis” through legal reforms such as the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and Vos Estis Lux Mundi. While the protection of the innocent is a moral duty, the article fails to address the root cause of the crisis: the modernist revolution that destroyed Catholic moral theology, liturgy, and discipline. The crisis is not merely a failure of governance; it is the fruit of the apostasy that has consumed the conciliar structures. The true Church has always taught that “the Church is an enemy of the progress of natural and theological sciences” when they contradict revealed truth (condemned by St. Pius X in Lamentabili, No. 57). The modernist “reforms” that followed Vatican II, including the dismantling of the traditional seminary system, the abandonment of the theology of the propitiatory sacrifice, and the introduction of a anthropocentric catechesis, created the conditions for the crisis. Bergoglio’s legal reforms are band-aids on a cancer; they do not address the doctrinal and spiritual rot that is the true cause of the crisis. Moreover, the abolition of the “pontifical secret” in abuse cases is a violation of the Church’s own canonical tradition and a capitulation to secular pressure, further evidence of the subservience of the conciliar structures to the world.
The Pandemic “Urbi et Orbi”: A Symbol of Desolation
The image of Bergoglio standing alone in a rain-soaked St. Peter’s Square during the COVID-19 pandemic is described as “a moment of stark symbolism — emptiness, vulnerability, and quiet solidarity.” This image is indeed symbolic, but not in the way the article intends. It is a symbol of the desolation of the Vatican, the abandonment of the faithful, and the emptiness of a Church that has lost its supernatural faith. The true Church has always taught that “the Church is not a true and perfect society, entirely free—nor is she endowed with proper and perpetual rights of her own, conferred upon her by her Divine Founder” is an error condemned by Pius IX (Syllabus, No. 19). The pandemic was an opportunity for the Church to call the faithful to repentance, to the sacraments, and to prayer. Instead, Bergoglio called for “global cooperation, urged respect for scientific guidance, and advocated for equitable vaccine distribution.” This is the language of the world, not of the Church. The true Church would have called for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the recitation of the Rosary, and for the faithful to make acts of reparation for the sins of the world. Bergoglio’s response was a naturalistic, humanitarian response, devoid of the supernatural faith that should characterize the Church in times of crisis.
Visit to Iraq: False Ecumenism and the Betrayal of the Martyrs
The article celebrates Bergoglio’s 2021 trip to Iraq as a “historic visit” and a “powerful moment of interfaith dialogue” with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. This is a scandalous betrayal of the Catholic faith. The Church has always taught that there is no salvation outside the Church, and that dialogue with non-Catholics must always be ordered towards their conversion to the true faith. Pius IX condemned the proposition that “the Church has not the power of defining dogmatically that the religion of the Catholic Church is the only true religion” (Syllabus, No. 21). Bergoglio’s meeting with a Muslim leader, in which he sought to “build bridges between religions,” is a direct contradiction of this teaching. It is false ecumenism, the “pest” condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907). The true Church does not seek to “build bridges” with false religions; she seeks to convert their adherents to the true faith. The Christians of Iraq who suffered persecution at the hands of ISIS did not need a “message of resilience, coexistence, and hope” from a man who refuses to proclaim the necessity of the Catholic faith for salvation. They needed the true Church to stand with them in faith and to proclaim the truth of Christ the King.
The Synod on Synodality: The Democratization of the Church
The Synod on Synodality is described as “an ambitious multiyear process aimed at reshaping how the Catholic Church listens, discerns, and makes decisions.” This is the democratization of the Church, a direct contradiction of her hierarchical constitution established by Christ. The Church is not a democracy; she is a monarchy, with the Pope as the Vicar of Christ, possessing full, supreme, and universal jurisdiction over the entire Church. The Synod on Synodality, with its “unprecedented participation from laypeople, women, and marginalized groups,” is a modernist innovation that undermines the authority of the hierarchy and reduces the Church to a human institution governed by consensus and dialogue. St. Pius X condemned the proposition that “the Church listening cooperates in such a way with the Church teaching in defining truths of faith, that the Church teaching should only approve the common opinions of the Church listening” (Lamentabili, No. 6). The Synod on Synodality is the practical application of this condemned proposition. It is the “organic structure of the Church is subject to change, and the Christian community, like the human community, is subject to continuous evolution” (condemned by St. Pius X, Lamentabini, No. 53). The true Church does not “listen” to the world; she teaches the world.
The Final Trip: A Pilgrimage of Naturalism
The article concludes with a description of Bergoglio’s final international trip to Asia and Oceania, where he “emphasized interreligious dialogue in Muslim-majority Indonesia, emphasized care for the environment and supporting Indigenous communities in Papua New Guinea, encouraged the youth to embrace hope, fraternity, and the faith in East Timor, and stressed the importance of social cohesion and protecting the vulnerable in a wealthy society in Singapore.” This is a summary of the entire Bergoglian pontificate: a series of naturalistic, humanitarian gestures devoid of supernatural content. There is no mention of the necessity of baptism, the importance of the sacraments, the reality of sin and the need for repentance, the existence of hell, or the necessity of the Catholic faith for salvation. This is not the mission of the Church; it is the mission of the United Nations. The true Church exists to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). Bergoglio’s “legacy” is the replacement of this supernatural mission with a naturalistic, humanitarian agenda that is indistinguishable from the goals of secular globalism.
Conclusion: The Legacy of Apostasy
The “legacy” of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as presented in this article, is not a legacy of faith, but a legacy of apostasy. It is the legacy of a man who occupied the Chair of Peter and used it to undermine the faith, to promote false ecumenism, to reduce the Church to a humanitarian organization, and to lead countless souls away from the true path to salvation. The true Church, the Church of all ages, endures in the faithful who profess the integral Catholic faith, who attend the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the ancient rite, and who reject the modernist innovations of the conciar sect. As Pius XI taught in Quas Primas, “The kingdom of Christ is not of this world” (cf. Jn 18:36), and the Church’s mission is not to promote a secular vision of justice and human dignity, but to lead souls to eternal life through the sacraments and the preaching of the true Gospel. The “legacy” of Bergoglio is the legacy of the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (Mt 24:15), a warning to all the faithful to remain steadfast in the unchanging faith of the Church and to reject the false teachings of the modernist revolution.
Source:
Remembering Pope Francis: 9 Moments That Defined His Legacy (ncregister.com)
Date: 21.04.2026