As Francis marks 10 years as Pope, conservatives confront post-Benedict era

Pope Francis kisses a child during the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis marks the 10th anniversary of his election on March 13 having outlasted the conservative opposition that failed to bring him down and which is now at a crossroads, seeking new direction following the deaths of two of its figureheads.

The conservative-progressive divide has been a recurrent theme of the past 10 years, since Francis first appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in 2013 wearing a simple white cassock, shunning the red-and-gold coverings used for centuries.