A glimpse into the eyes of Francis: One reporter’s encounter with the Pope and his legacy

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Ko Jung-ae

The author is the editor-in-chief at the JoongAng Sunday. 

As a journalist, I have shaken hands with countless people. Most of those faces have faded from memory. But one handshake remains vivid — Pope Francis.

It was 2014, during my time as a correspondent in London, when I had the chance to cover the pope’s visit to Korea. On board Shepherd One, the papal flight en route to Seoul, Pope Francis greeted each of the 72 reporters traveling with him. Before doing so, he addressed us collectively, saying, “Your words help us connect with the people of the world. Please carry the message of peace during this journey.”

I no longer recall what he said when we met face to face. But I remember his eyes. They were filled with curiosity, mischief and warmth — eyes that seemed to look through me, but never unkindly. It’s hard to capture their effect in words. It felt as if we were the only two people in the world. A thought crossed my mind — had he gone into politics, he might have captivated entire nations. Others who met him in Seoul described a similar feeling: “It felt as if he was entirely focused on me.” That, I believe, was his gift — empathy.

The Vatican, on the other hand, offered a stark contrast. Behind the pope’s humble image — riding in a compact Kia Soul — was a machine of remarkable hierarchy and efficiency. I ran into a senior diplomat at the time who told me, “I’ve handled ten presidential state visits, but a single papal visit is far more complicated.” That comment seemed to capture the dual nature of the Vatican — the humanity of the pope and the bureaucracy of the institution.

This tension fascinated me. How could a liberal, deeply human and humble figure such as Pope Francis coexist with the traditions and structures of a 2,000-year-old religious institution? 

From the beginning, it was clear he sought change. While maintaining the Church’s official opposition to abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage, he adopted a tone of openness and compassion. He extended pastoral care to remarried and divorced Catholics, appointed more than 140 cardinals from outside Europe, and made the Vatican more global in character. He also named women to senior positions, including minister-level roles.

Yet, much remained undone. The Economist wrote that Pope Francis “changed the Catholic Church, but perhaps not as much as he wished.” That assessment feels accurate.

The pope himself acknowledged the difficulty. In his recently published memoir, “Life: My Story Through History,” he reflected, “I always felt the need to move forward. The decisions I made were never easy, and I knew they would cause problems. But I also knew that truth must never be hidden, and that a lack of transparency is always the worst choice.”

He added, “Ours is an urgent time. Try to hold on to today, and it becomes yesterday. Try to grasp tomorrow, and it is not even a shadow yet. My years as pope have been lived in that tension, always looking beyond.”

His co-author explained that the pope’s backward glance was not nostalgic, but a way to see further ahead. Even so, the book is tinged with anxiety. Born in 1936, Pope Francis grew up in the long shadow of World War II. Later, as a priest in Argentina, he witnessed decades of Peronism, military repression, far-right collaboration with escaped Nazis, antisemitic violence and guerrilla warfare. Friends disappeared or returned bloodied. It was a time of extremism and madness. One wonders whether the pope, now in his late 80s, fears a return to that era.

He writes, “To those who have lived long lives, I ask gently — do the things we are experiencing today not remind you of the darkness of the past? Do we not see the shadows of a history so horrific that humanity vowed never to repeat it?”

His plea is most urgent when directed at the young.

“To all people, especially the youth, I say: Do not be swayed by those who preach division, who speak of excluding other peoples. Wars fought in the name of ‘national interest’ or ‘security’ often mask personal greed and political ambition. Do not be trapped by their narrow and suffocating dreams. They only give birth to new nightmares.”

In a moment of characteristic humility, Pope Francis described himself as “just one step in a long history.” Perhaps that step will come to be missed more than we realize.

He asked the world to walk with him, to look each other in the eye, and to remember that empathy — so rare in power — can be a force greater than politics.

And for at least one reporter, who still remembers the gaze of those eyes, it was.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.