Overview

• He has blended traditional liturgical gestures—such as Latin masses, traditional vestments and a return to Castel Gandolfo—with a public defense of synodality.
• He has continued selective personnel changes by naming women to Vatican leadership roles, including nun Tiziana Merletti as secretary of the Dicastery for Consecrated Life.
• His vocal stance on Gaza has held Israeli forces directly responsible for civilian casualties, questioned official narratives and condemned hunger as a weapon of war.
• He approved a joint bishop appointment for China and offered the Vatican as a venue for Russia–Ukraine peace talks while criticizing the global arms race.
• Observers say the direction of his papacy will hinge on forthcoming Curia reshuffles and the content of his inaugural encyclical, which will reveal whether he leans conservative, reformist or centrist.