In an article in The Conversation titled “El legado jurídico de Francisco: reformas audaces con futuro incierto” (The legal legacy of Francis: bold reforms with an uncertain future.) Dr Gas-Aixendri analyses how the Pope carried out a profound transformation of the legal structures of the Catholic church. According to the expert, these reforms were directed at three important challenges: to guarantee transparency and control in the management of assets; offer a more effective response to sexual abuse and adapt canonical law to the more complex and plural reality of today.

“Francis increased the speed of the reform process, demonstrating strong leadership and a clear intention for change,” confirmed Dr Gas-Aixendri. However, the expert also warned that the process could some up against short- and long-term obstacles, especially if institutional mechanisms are not consolidated to ensure this reformist model after Francis.

The professor of the Faculty of Law underlines the importance of these reforms in the context of a papacy that has opted for a more synodal and decentralised government. ‘The key to making his legal legacy endure is institutional integration of the changes, i.e. that they are taken on as their own by the permanent structures of the Church,’ she explained.

Gas-Aixendri's analysis is part of a line of work that for years has been addressing the connections between law, religion and society, and which contributes to academic and public debate on current ecclesiastical and legal issues from the University.

See the full article in The Conversation.