On Christmas Eve 2024, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica to mark a significant 12 months ahead in the Catholic Church.
The Jubilee Year of Hope would be a chance for the Catholic faithful to embrace a new beginning, a commitment to love, renewal and service.
While jubilee years are significant in the Catholic Church, 2025 was overshadowed by the death of one pope and the election of his successor.
The early months of the year were marked by health challenges faced by Pope Francis.
Reports of frailty and illness circulated widely after he was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital in February for the treatment of pneumonia.
Many felt confident that the pontiff would return to the Vatican, however, doctors admitted subsequently that it was "touch and go" at times.
After five weeks of hospitalisation, the 88-year-old resumed public duties in a limited capacity.
Defying the advice of doctors who told him to take two months' rest to allow his body to heal, he spent his final day working.
His last public appearance occurred on Easter Sunday, 25 April, at St Peter's Square.
Visibly frail, he delivered the traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing to those gathered.
In a surprise move, he travelled around the square on the popemobile for what would be, a final time.
That evening, he thanked his nurse Massimiliano Strappetti for bringing him to St Peter's Square.
At 5.30am the following morning, the first signs of a "sudden illness" occurred. A little more than an hour later, Pope Francis made a farewell gesture with his hand to Strappetti.
"He did not suffer and it all happened fast," according to Vatican News.
Pope Francis’s death on Easter Monday, during the Jubilee Year of Hope, intensified the symbolic resonance of his final weeks. Global reaction was immediate.
Religious leaders, political figures, and lay Catholics expressed grief and admiration, highlighting his emphasis on mercy, social justice, and engagement with the marginalised.
President Michael D Higgins led Irish tributes; noting the pope's "warmth" and "unique humility" he brought to the role.
The two men had met on several occasions and had discussed global hunger, poverty, climate change and justice.
The former president, his wife Sabina, Irish political representatives as well as Irish pilgrims, were among 250,000 people who paid their respects at St Peter’s Basilica where the pope lay in a simple casket, as requested.
Not only did it function as a religious observance, the funeral was also a moment of global diplomatic convergence.
One of the most widely reported moments occurred on the margins, when US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were photographed in conversation inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The image, circulated widely amid ongoing conflict in Ukraine, lent weight to the occasion.
Following the funeral, as world leaders departed Rome, the wooden casket carrying Francis was transported through the city among the people on a modified popemobile.
Crowds clapped as the man who led the Catholic Church for over 12 years was brought to his beloved Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.
The Church then entered the interregnum period and the conclave.
The College of Cardinals gathered against the backdrop of debate over the role of the Catholic Church in a complex global environment.
Representation from the Global South and cardinals with pastoral backgrounds had increased under Pope Francis.
This shaped expectation that the next pope could continue his priorities.
Several cardinals were widely considered front-runners, based on a combination of experience in the Curia, pastoral leadership, or theological prominence.
The election of an Augustinian American cardinal with a more pastoral and diplomatic profile came as a surprise to many observers.
While respected within the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Robert Prevost had not been widely cited as a leading candidate in pre-conclave speculation.
However, the relatively swift voting process, lasting only two days, suggested that the electors coalesced around him.
Cardinal Prevost was viewed as someone who could balance continuity with Francis’s vision while introducing a disciplined administrative style.
Emerging onto the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV set the tone of his pontificate with his first words to the cheering crowd - "Peace be with you all".
Opportunely, Rector of the Irish College in Rome Fr Paul Finnerty, who was standing at the RTÉ live point at the time of the announcement, revealed he knew the new pope.
"It’s not everyday you can say that you know the new pope. He has a long association with the Pontifical Irish College Rome," he said.
Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin also noted that shortly before his election, Cardinal Prevost met the four Irish Catholic Archbishops to discuss structures within the church in Ireland.
Pope Leo’s influence arguably held most significance in South America due to years he spent working with communities in Peru; however, his election as the first North American born pope drew the most intrigue.
At a time when many traditionalist US Christians pointed to President Trump as the man they hoped would restore the country’s Christian character, Pope Leo arrived in the Vatican as a symbol of harmony rather than division.
At the same time, US immigration policy and the treatment of migrants had emerged into focus.
Pope Leo acknowledged that countries had a right to control borders, however he urged Americans to ensure humane and dignified treatment of people in immigration detention and criticised conditions that fail to respect human dignity.
Described as calm, straightforward, committed to unity and dialogue, Pope Leo has been viewed as a moderate, bridging traditional and progressive viewpoints within the Church.
In his first full length interview with the Catholic news site Crux, he was asked about matters such as the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in the Catholic Church, to which he responded that "the Church’s teaching will continue as it is".
On the question of women deacons, he recently authorised publication of a Vatican commission report, which concluded that historical and theological evidence did not currently support ordination of women as deacons.
While the report did not shut the door to the idea, it suggested further study on the question of women deacons which caused consternation from some quarters, including the Association of Catholic Priests here.
In a statement, the ACP described it as a long-standing pattern of postponement.
"This continued deferral, now by a third study group, suggests a serious lack of leadership and reduces the message from a firm "No" to a dispiriting "Not yet," it said.
Some observers worry that Pope Leo’s moderate approach might lead to delays or less decisive action within the Catholic Church, but equally, he requires time to settle into the role.
During his early months, Pope Leo published the first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi te; a document Pope Francis began, but that was concluded by his successor.
It reaffirmed the Church’s responsibility toward the poor and marginalised.
Welcomed from many quarters including the St Vincent de Paul charity in Ireland, it was a document that largely reflected the views of both men.
Ultimately, it was an appropriate handover from one pontiff to another.
The first international trip of a newly elected pontiff is always viewed as symbolic with the choice of destination carrying historical, theological, and geopolitical significance.
By choosing Turkey and Lebanon, there was an emphasis by Pope Leo on Christian unity and dialogue with the Eastern Orthodox tradition, particularly in connection with the Council of Nicaea commemorations.
The visit in November symbolised an 'East-West' bridge-building approach.
In another display of bridge building, the first shared prayer between Anglican and Catholic leadership since the English Reformation took place at the Vatican.
The service with England’s King Charles and Queen Camilla in October sought to reinforce ongoing dialogue and cooperation, reflecting Pope Leo’s broader approach to global Church governance and leadership which was recently highlighted through a series of high-profile episcopal appointments.
In the United States, he named Bishop Aldon Ronald Hicks as the next Archbishop of New York.
Archbishop Hicks, aged 58 like the pope, hails from the Chicago area and has served extensively in Latin America.
Chosen by Leo to lead one of the Church’s largest and most influential dioceses, Hicks succeeds the more conservative Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who retired at the age of 75.
The newly appointed Archbishop Hicks, recently joined other bishops in publicly criticising large-scale immigration-related arrests under the Trump administration.
The role of Archbishop of New York is significant as is the role of Archbishop of Westminster, to which Bishop Richard Moth has been recently appointed.
The 68-year old assumes the most significant role in the Catholic Church in England and Wales amid growing Catholic influence in both countries.
A recent Bible Society/YouGov report, based on an online poll of 13,146 adults carried out in late 2024 indicated that Catholics now outnumber Anglicans among churchgoers aged 18 to 34, reversing recent trends.
Indeed, the beatification of Carlo Acutis in August resulted in huge crowds of younger people travelling to the Vatican for the ceremony.
The appointments of Archbishops Moth and Hicks appear deliberate moves by Pope Leo to pastoral and institutional considerations.
Not even a year in the role, the man leading the Catholic Church has made no secret of adjusting to life in the public eye.
There was bemusement from some quarters when he recently made Vogue magazine’s top 50 best dressed list for 2025.
It noted him breaking with the humble tastes of his predecessor Pope Francis, who preferred the simple attire of a white cassock.
In a recent interview with Crux magazine, Pope Leo acknowledged that he still had a lot to learn in the role.
"I’m learning a lot, feeling very challenged, but not overwhelmed," he said.
The coming years will be busy for the Catholic Church.
2029 will mark the 200th anniversary of Catholic Emancipation; 2033 will mark the 2,000th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Christ.
And significantly, in an Irish context, 2032 will mark the 1,500-year anniversary of the arrival of Christianity to Ireland.
An opportune year, perhaps, for Pope Leo to visit the island of Ireland, north and south.
A spokesperson for Archbishop Eamon Martin has indicated that an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to mark the occasion with a visit that year, has not been ruled out.