Running head: POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY Pope Francis and the use of lenient religious practices to further the cause of Christianity Name of the Student: Name of the University: Author’s Note:
1POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY Christianity is not only one of the oldest but also one of the fastest growing religions of the world currently1. As opined by Taylor, Wieren and Zaleha2 the major precepts of Christianity are based on the life as well as the teachings of Jesus Christ and also on the Holy Book, named, The Bible. Badano and Nuti3 are of the viewpoint that one of the major reasons for the rapid spread of the religion of Christianity is the effective leadership offered by the leaders of the concerned religion and also the Roman Catholic Church. Ball, Dagger and O’Neill4 have stated that the role of the Pope, who can be seen as the elected representative of the Roman Catholic Church is an important one since the Pope is imbued with the role of the management of the different affairs of the religion. In this regard, the present leader of Christianity, Pope Francis is an important one. Pope Francis through the use of his unorthodox style of leadership has been able to further the cause of Christianity in a much effective manner. The religious practices of Pope Francis, even though it has gathered much criticism from the Conservatives has actually helped in the process of its growth in a substantial manner. This essay will discuss about the life and also the religious practices of Pope Francis. More importantly, the essay will discuss about the manner in which the lenient religious practices of Pope Francis has furthered the cause of Christianity in a substantial manner in the recent times. 1Landrum, Asheley R., Robert B. Lull, Heather Akin, Ariel Hasell, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. "Processing the papal encyclical through perceptual filters: Pope Francis, identity-protective cognition, and climate change concern."Cognition166 (2017): 1-12. 2Taylor, Bron, Gretel Van Wieren, and B. D. Zaleha. "The greening of religion hypothesis (part two): Assessing the data from Lynn White, Jr, to Pope Francis."Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture10, no. 3 (2016): 306-78. 3Badano, Gabriele, and Alasia Nuti. "Under Pressure: Political Liberalism, the Rise of Unreasonableness, and the Complexity of Containment."Journal of Political Philosophy26, no. 2 (2018): 145-168. 4Ball, Terence, Richard Dagger, and Daniel I. O’Neill.Political ideologies and the democratic ideal. Taylor & Francis, 2016.
2POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY As opined by Zaccaria, Anthony and Sterkens5 the high growth rate of Christianity and also its increasing popularity among the people from the different religions of the world can be attributed to the effective religious practices adopted by the Pope. Glasman6 has stated that the right kind of guidance which is being offered by Pope Francis currently has also contributed in a substantial manner towards the growth of the concerned religion in the recent times. The prospects of any religion depend not only on the teachings as well as the precepts of that religion but also the kind of leadership which is being offered by the religious leaders of the concerned religion7. It is precisely here that the role played by Pope Francis within the cannon of contemporary Christianity becomes an important one to note. Pope Francis, born 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and the current sovereign of the religion of Christianity8. More importantly, he is “the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first pope from outside Europe since the Syrian Gregory III, who reigned in the 8th century”9. His original name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio however he changed his name in 1969 when he was ordained as a Catholic priest10. He even became the “Archbishop of Buenos Aires” in the year 1998 and in the year 2001 was made the Cardinal 5Zaccaria, Francesco, Francis-Vincent Anthony, and Carl Sterkens. "Religion and civil rights in Italy: An empirical exploration among secondary school students." InReligion and Civil Human Rights in Empirical Perspective, pp. 91-119. Springer, Cham, 2018. 6Glasman, Maurice. "Beloved of the people: The popularity and political mastery of Pope Francis."Juncture21, no. 4 (2015): 319-323. 7Bingemer, Maria Clara. "Making Some Noise for God: How to Understand Pope Francis."Foreign Aff.97 (2018): 164. 8Pope Francis. 2018.The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/pope-francis. 9Semán, Pablo, Nicolás Viotti, and Mari-Sol GarcÍa Somoza. "Secularism and liberalism in contemporary Argentina: Neoliberal responses, initiatives, and criticisms of Pope Francis."Social Compass(2018): 0037768618792809. 10Gregg, Samuel. "Understanding Pope Francis: Argentina, Economic Failure, and the Teología del Pueblo."The Independent Review21, no. 3 (2017): 361.
3POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY by Pope John Paul II11. In addition to this, he is also reputed for the leadership which he provided to the nation during the “December 2001 riots”12. The popularity of Francis among the general masses of Argentina reached to such an extent that he was even considered to be a political rival and a potential political minister by “Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner”. However, after the abrupt resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, he was elected as the Pope by the unanimous decision of “a papal conclave” on 13th March of the same year13. In this regard, it needs to be said that Francis is the papal name of Bergogolio which he adopted in honor of “Saint Francis of Assisi”14. Scannone15 is of the viewpoint that one of the major reasons for the popularity as well as the unprecedented success attained by Pope Francis within a span of such a short time can be attributed to the lenient religious practices followed by him. As opined by Douthat16, the earlier Popes required the followers to Christianity to adhere to the religious practices which the concerned religion demanded its follower to practice often deterred many individuals from following this religion. In addition to this, it was also seen that the followers were required to hold the various masses and other kind of activities on a regular basis and also 11Carter, Elizabeth. "The Pope and Europe: Sign o’the Times: Does Pope Francis’s Papacy Represent a New Era for Western Europe?." InPope Francis as a Global Actor, pp. 169-187. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018. 12Semán, Pablo, Nicolás Viotti, and Mari-Sol GarcÍa Somoza. "Secularism and liberalism in contemporary Argentina: Neoliberal responses, initiatives, and criticisms of Pope Francis."Social Compass(2018): 0037768618792809. 13Rooney, Francis.The Global Vatican: An Inside Look at the Catholic Church, World Politics, and the Extraordinary Relationship between the United States and the Holy See, with a New Afterword on Pope Francis. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. 14Gregg, Samuel. "Understanding Pope Francis: Argentina, Economic Failure, and the Teología del Pueblo."The Independent Review21, no. 3 (2017): 361. 15Scannone, Juan Carlos. "Pope Francis and the Theology of the People."Theological Studies77, no. 1 (2016): 118-135. 16Douthat, R. O. S. S. "Will Pope Francis Break the Church?."The Atlantic1395 (2015): 31-50.
End of preview
Want to access all the pages? Upload your documents or become a member.
Related Documents
Pope Francis and the use of lenient religious practices to further the cause of Christianitylg...
|13
|4901
|301
Laudato Si' and Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Landlg...
|9
|2430
|496
Religious Conflicts and Religionlg...
|8
|2418
|204
Paper Tittle Centered And In Caps Lock 2022lg...
|6
|1766
|29
Buddha and Christ: A Comparative Approachlg...
|10
|3456
|270
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?lg...