This way, I see the people, I

When Pope Francis was elected as the 266th Supreme Pontiff, his appointment was met with a wave of optimism.

Viewers just joining us in America and around the world, we have a new pope. The smoke that signaled it to us all.

For many, they believed his attitudes and beliefs would usher in a new era of progressivism for the Catholic Church. And as the Vatican announced his death at the age of 88, tributes began pouring in from around the world. From CNN, I'm Jo Beck, with a special look at the life and legacy of the man who was known as the People's Pope.

Pope Francis made history in more ways than one. He was born Jorge Mario Borgoglio in Buenos Aires in 1936 to Italian immigrants, making him the first Pontiff to ever be born in the Southern Hemisphere. He worked as a bouncer, graduated from college as a chemical technician, and, like many Argentines, discovered what would be a lifelong love of soccer. Take a listen to how his sister described him in 2013.

He has a great sense of humor. I think he got that from my father. When he had to be firm for something, he was, but with good humor.

Kevin had a childhood crush, writing in a memoir that he made a promise to a little girl in his home city. Amalia Damonte told reporters in 2013 that she was that girl.

He said to me, if I don't marry you, I'll become a priest.

Well, he didn't marry her, but he did follow through with his plans to join the church and began to rise through the ranks. But it was always those humble beginnings that seemed to inspire his career. With his friend Oscar Crespo. Saying his number one priority was always to help people.

He told me clearly, look, I said I'm going to be a priest because my goal is to be at the service of the people.

On March 13th, 2013, he got the opportunity to do that on the largest scale possible, as he was chosen as the next leader of the Catholic Church.

Buenas Heras.

He addressed the crowds with a simple good evening, as his appointment marked a historic moment for the Vatican. It was the first time in nearly 600 years that a new pontiff was elected while his predecessor was still alive. Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose a name that had never been used before – Pope Francis – after the saint known for his work with the poor. CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb spoke to me about the early days of Pope Francis' papacy.

Pope Francis shook things up as soon as he was elected. He decided to live in the Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse, rather than in the apostolic palace. He took that decision so that he could meet people freely and wouldn't be controlled by the Vatican apparatus. He was clear from the word go that he wanted to communicate directly with people. He refused to be scripted. He spoke off the cuff, alarming Vatican officials who weren't expecting a pope to so free. In how they spoke.

'Elaborate papal robes and jewelry stayed in the closet, as Francis wore only his white cassock with his black orthopedic shoes and a simple cross. And when he needed his glasses fixed, he hopped in a car and went to the optician in Rome. Around the world, both Catholics and non-Catholics alike celebrated the new pope, and everything he could symbolize. Here's his long-time biographer, Elisabetta Piquet.

This matter of a church open, a church inclusive, a church that is for all, not of a little group of perfect people.

'He even seemed to make the Catholic Church cool for a time, getting shout-outs from celebrities like Jane Fonda and Chris Rock. And in 2013, Time magazine named him its Person of the Year, with a headline calling him the People's Pope. It's an honor he also received from another unlikely source, Lgbtq Plus publication, The Advocate. Early in his papacy, Francis gave marginalized Catholics hope that they might see acceptance from the church. He wasn't afraid to take strong stances publicly, even if it put him at odds with other members of the Catholic hierarchy. He broadened the power of Catholic priests to forgive women who'd had abortions, moved to make annulments easier, and suggested the church should embrace people who were divorced. He was also passionate about the environment and issued an encyclical, a letter to all Catholic bishops, on climate change.

The misuse and destruction of the environment are also accompanied by a relentless process of exclusion. In effect, a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and the exclusion of the weak.

'But his more progressive attitudes faced backlash from conservative members of the church. Some of the strongest criticism he got was from groups in the US who said they wanted a pope who laid down the law and presented doctrine in black and white terms. Pope Francis took assertive action against his opposition, and last year he sanctioned a US cardinal, one of his most outspoken critics, while also removing a bishop in Texas. Who accused him of undermining the church's central teachings. Pope Francis also stood out for his approach to the LGBTQ-plus community.

If a person is gay and accepts the Lord and has goodwill, well, who am I to judge?

'He offered the possibility that priests could give blessings for some same-sex couples and said their children could be baptized in some circumstances. But while his words brought hope, some progressives argued that he didn't necessarily bring real change. In 2018, he advised that gay men should not be allowed to join the priesthood. Words versus actions was also a problem for Pope Francis over his handling of one of the Catholic Church's biggest crises in modern history, child sex abuse. He addressed the scandal during a trip to Chile in 2018.

Y la vergüenza.

Here I feel bound to express my pain and shame, shame at the irreparable damage caused to children by some ministers of the Church. I am one with my brother bishops, for it is right to ask for forgiveness and make every effort to support the victims, even as we commit ourselves to ensuring that such things do not happen again.

Pope Francis created a church tribunal to judge bishops who failed to protect children from sexually abusive priests, and he met with victims. But just last year, the Commission for Child Protection, which was set up by Francis, found the Catholic Church was still failing to make sure abuse was reported correctly. It also raised concerns about a, quote, lack of transparency in the Vatican's handling of cases. John Allen is the editor of Catholic news site, Crux.

There is no doubt that the child sexual abuse scandals are the central stain on his legacy. I mean, over and over again, Pope Francis said the right things. He met with victims. He expressed heartfelt sorrow. He expressed resolve to get this right. But, you know, most critics, many victims would say that that wasn't matched with a policy follow through.

Pope Francis was quick to call for action from world leaders and often weighed in on global events. He pushed for more acceptance for immigrants during a visit to the U.S.

As the son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country which was largely built by such families.

He called for the fighting to end in Ukraine and Gaza.

If you had the audacity to open the door...

May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialog and encounter in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.

'He urged wealthier countries to distribute vaccines to the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic. And he consistently pushed for more acceptance of refugees and even brought Syrian refugees back to Rome on his papal plane after a visit to a Greek island. Pope Francis always focused much of his attention on people he described as living on the outside.

The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, those in prison.

And CNN's Christopher Lamb says it always came back to being with and serving the people.

He used to say that a phrase he really disliked was, it's always been done this way. He wanted the church to get out of the gilded basilicas and go out to the poor and suffering to pitch the church's tent amongst those on the margins to be a field hospital. He's reformed the papacy in the way that he has taken away some of the grandeur or the elevated view and with which it was held and brought it closer to the people. He has sought to make the church a more open and inclusive place. He will be remembered as a pope who put the church onto a missionary footing, who guided it through an extraordinary time of change, who sought to bring the message that the church seeks to proclaim to as many people as possible.

Pope Francis' most important message was one of fraternity, that we're all brothers and sisters, despite our differences. Take care of the earth and each other, he said, and don't forget to pray for me.