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While modern popes live and work in the Vatican, the Lateran church is sometimes referred to in Catholicism as "the mother of all churches".

In many ways, he made Catholicism cool again — this was the pope that landed on the cover of Rolling Stone.

He also constantly tries to make Catholicism relevant to younger Filipinos with a strong presence on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and X.

"If you think about African cardinals who are potential popes, who is prominent in global Catholicism today? The answer is none."

Certainly, not all his critics are so unhinged, and there are many things I personally disagreed with him on, but he always reminded me of the very best of Catholicism.