MBTI Type: ESFJ

Francis comes to the Vatican with strong opinions about the moral right of looking after the poor, living as equals to them, and not taking part in traditions that somehow set him as separate or more important than others. He confesses that he does not want the papacy upon their first vote. He has a free and easy way of making people like him that Benedict envies (“How do you get people to like you?” Benedict asks. “I simply be myself,” Francis answers. “Ah,” Benedict replies. “When I am myself, people dislike me.”). Francis is a humanitarian, who considers resigning from his cardinal’s seat in order to better serve the poor, and because he does not agree with all the conservative ideologies of the current leadership. He believes in tending the immediate needs of his parish, in both a spiritual and literal sense. Francis devotes most of his time to food banks, food lines, and charities. His sermons are earnest, down to earth, and easy for anyone to understand. Though Francis does have some radical ideas about reform within the Catholic Church (including his contempt for anyone who did not expose predatory priests), he is also somewhat of a traditionalist, pointing to religious history as a reason Benedict cannot resign (“You will ruin the papacy!”). Francis’ dealings with his government in his younger years reveal his lower Ne – he saw another way to keep his priests alive, but lacked the foresight to be realistic about what “removing his protection” from them would mean. Francis is quite curious about the world and its new technologies, and eager to “move the Church forward.” He tells Benedict why he should not be his replacement, including all of his many regrets about the past. Francis is a considerate and introspective man, but admits that it took him “time” to develop depth in these matters, showing his inferior Ti.

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Francis’ main problem is his “ego.” He makes a joke about climbing to the top of his pride and jumping off, and how it might kill him. As a young man, he coveted love and went out to find it. Then, he decided to join the priesthood. He took his responsibilities as the protector of his priests seriously, and did all in his power to keep them safe. He took the teachings of Jesus to heart, and became less about looking good, and more about doing actual service for the poor and needy. Francis is a loving, compassionate, emotional, and generous man, but his 1 wing routinely berates himself for his many mistakes. Some of them, he considers to be such unforgivable character flaws that it takes Benedict to help him see that he must forgive himself. Francis criticizes Benedict’s behavior, in protecting abusive priests. He has a strong moralizing streak that helps him regulate his own behavior.