By OSV News
ROME (OSV News) — From the outset of his papacy, a theme that became central to Pope Francis’ leadership was something very human, and very fatherly — tenderness — shown to thousands of people through his 12-year-long pontificate. He first spoke of it in his inaugural homily, urging the church to embrace goodness and care. Over the years, Francis embodied this tenderness through countless personal gestures, from kissing the face of Vinicio Riva, a man disfigured by disease, to consoling a boy in Rome worried about his atheist father’s fate. The pope also reached out to victims of abuse, the homeless, and refugees, often providing direct support like money for a woman robbed on her way to visit her sick husband. He famously visited and embraced refugees in Lesbos, apologized to the persecuted Rohingya in Bangladesh, and made personal calls to grieving families. Eva Fernández, Spanish journalist and author of “El Papa de la Ternura” (“The Pope of Tenderness”), told OSV News that his actions, whether helping survivors of sex trafficking or comforting prisoners, exemplified his belief in “a revolution of tenderness,” showing a radically compassionate response to human suffering.