As the Roman Catholic Church embarks on the sacred and secretive process of electing a new pontiff, all eyes turn to the ancient tradition of the conclave, a spiritual and symbolic rite cloaked in reverence and ritual.
The process begins with a solemn Holy Mass titled Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice (For the Election of the Roman Pontiff), led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the Sacred College, at the grand St Peter’s Basilica.
With divine guidance sought through prayer and reflection, 133 cardinals under the age of 80 will gather within the Sistine Chapel to cast their ballots and choose the next Bishop of Rome.
As this sacred tradition unfolds, the world remembers the unforgettable moment Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis.
A man whose humility stunned the Church and endeared him to millions.
On the night of his election, he refused the papal limousine and instead joined fellow cardinals aboard a humble minibus to their residence.
“I came on the bus, so I’ll go home on the bus,” he quipped.
From that moment forward, Pope Francis defied papal opulence. He opted for modest transport, frequently seen in a basic Ford Focus or a 1984 Renault 4L.
While the Vatican offered him the grandeur of the Apostolic Palace, a 1,000-roomed estate with chapels, libraries, and offices, he chose a modest two-room guesthouse at Casa Santa Marta, where he could live simply and interact freely with Vatican staff.
His minimalist lifestyle was no façade. The pontiff carried his own black leather bag, reportedly filled with books and a razor, a sight unseen since modern papacies began.
He wore a €20 (Sh. 3,000) Casio wristwatch and often repeated the same message in homilies: that material possessions cannot fulfil life, only love can.
Long before he wore the papal white, he had worked as a janitor and nightclub bouncer, later dedicating his priesthood to the marginalised.
As pope, he rejected luxurious papal garments and retained a plain silver cross he had worn since his days as an archbishop.
He declined the Church’s monthly salary of €30,000 (Ksh. 4.4 million), donating it entirely to charity.
When gifted a custom Lamborghini Huracán, he didn’t keep it. He blessed, signed, and auctioned it for charity, raising nearly $1 million, and went back to his modest Fiat 500.
Even in death, Pope Francis left his mark on tradition. In 2024, he altered papal burial customs, replacing the centuries-old triple coffin ritual with a single wooden casket lined with zinc, further testament to his vow of simplicity as a Jesuit since 1958.
A shepherd to the poor, a reformer of Vatican excess, and a pope of the people, Pope Francis’ legacy is etched in acts of humility, service, and unwavering love for humanity.