Pope Francis and the use of lenient religious practices to further the cause of Christianity

This essay discusses the life and religious practices of Pope Francis and how his lenient religious practices have furthered the cause of Christianity. It also highlights the reasons for his popularity and the impact of his leadership on the religion.

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.
1 Landrum, 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.
2 Taylor, 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 Culture 10, no. 3
(2016): 306-78.
3 Badano, Gabriele, and Alasia Nuti. "Under Pressure: Political Liberalism, the Rise of Unreasonableness, and
the Complexity of Containment." Journal of Political Philosophy 26, no. 2 (2018): 145-168.
4 Ball, 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
5 Zaccaria, Francesco, Francis-Vincent Anthony, and Carl Sterkens. "Religion and civil rights in Italy: An
empirical exploration among secondary school students." In Religion and Civil Human Rights in Empirical
Perspective, pp. 91-119. Springer, Cham, 2018.
6 Glasman, Maurice. "Beloved of the people: The popularity and political mastery of Pope
Francis." Juncture 21, no. 4 (2015): 319-323.
7 Bingemer, Maria Clara. "Making Some Noise for God: How to Understand Pope Francis." Foreign Aff. 97
(2018): 164.
8 Pope Francis. 2018. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/pope-francis.
9 Semán, 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.
10 Gregg, Samuel. "Understanding Pope Francis: Argentina, Economic Failure, and the Teología del
Pueblo." The Independent Review 21, 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
11 Carter, Elizabeth. "The Pope and Europe: Sign o’the Times: Does Pope Francis’s Papacy Represent a New
Era for Western Europe?." In Pope Francis as a Global Actor, pp. 169-187. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018.
12 Semán, 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.
13 Rooney, 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.
14 Gregg, Samuel. "Understanding Pope Francis: Argentina, Economic Failure, and the Teología del
Pueblo." The Independent Review 21, no. 3 (2017): 361.
15 Scannone, Juan Carlos. "Pope Francis and the Theology of the People." Theological Studies 77, no. 1 (2016):
118-135.
16 Douthat, R. O. S. S. "Will Pope Francis Break the Church?." The Atlantic 1395 (2015): 31-50.

4POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY
practice them as per the dictums offered by the church17. Harvey18 is of the viewpoint that the
modern busy lives of the individuals leaves them with very little time to indulge in the
religious practices which the concerned religion demanded from its followers. More
importantly, the developments in the fields of knowledge and technology has at the same
time lead many people to question the legality of religion and also the practices followed by
the followers of religion of Christianity. As stated by Ferrara19, the major contribution of
Pope Francis lies in the fact that he not only understood this dilemma of faith which the
followers of Christianity are suffering from currently but also tried to resolve it by making
the religious practices more lenient. This has not only enabled him to strength the follower’s
base of the religion but has at the same time enabled him to bring new individuals within the
fold of Christianity as well.
The approach adopted by Pope Francis for the dispensation of his duties as the
sovereign of the world of Christianity is also different from the ones adopted by the other
leaders of the same religion in the earlier times. In this regard, it needs to be mentioned that
unlike the other Popes who used to reside in the “papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace”,
he has selected “Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse” as the place of his dominance20. This
has important connation not only from the perspective of the religious policies followed by
him but also reveals his stance on the current policy that the church needs to follow.
17 Ivereigh, Austen. The great reformer: Francis and the making of a radical pope. Henry Holt and Company,
2014.
18 Harvey, Peter Francis. "It's a Total Way of Life? Catholic Priests, Women's Ordination, and Identity
Work." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 57, no. 3 (2018): 547-566.
19 Ferrara, Pasquale. "The Concept of Periphery in Pope Francis’ Discourse: A Religious Alternative to
Globalization?." Religions 6, no. 1 (2015): 42-57.
20 Taylor, 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
Culture 10, no. 3 (2016): 306-78.

5POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY
Yuengert21 is of the viewpoint that the members of the Roman Catholic Church despite
claiming to preach the religious teachings of Jesus and the Bible has always basked in lavish
lifestyle. This becomes apparent when a look at the papal palace and the lifestyle lead by the
different Popes over the years is taken into consideration. However, Pope Francis is different
in this regard since unlike the earlier Popes he has actually undertaken to live a life just like
the other followers of the religion of Christianity22. This is perhaps one of the major reasons
for the popularity as well as accolades which he is getting from the different parts of the
world.
Carter23 has stated that the majority of the earlier popes have focused on the concept
of morality as well as the necessity of leading a virtuous life. As a matter of fact, some of
them even went on to the extent of saying that the people who do not lead a virtuous as well
as a moral life are sent to Hell and also had to face the wrath of God24. As opined Rooney25,
this was actually a strategy which was used by the priests and other individuals to ensure the
fact that they have a steady number of followers and also they were following the precepts of
Christianity in an ardent manner. However, Pope Francis is different in this regard, since it is
seen that rather than focusing on the entities of morals and virtuous life, he focuses on the
notions of humility and God’s mercy26. In this regard, it needs to be said that one of the most
21 Yuengert, Andrew M. "Pope Francis, his predecessors, and the market." The Independent Review 21, no. 3
(2017): 347.
22 Landrum, 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.
23 Carter, Elizabeth. "The Pope and Europe: Sign o’the Times: Does Pope Francis’s Papacy Represent a New
Era for Western Europe?." In Pope Francis as a Global Actor, pp. 169-187. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018.
24 McRobbie, Angela. "European sexual politics-anti gender and the far right." Australian Options 87 (2018): 26
25 Rooney, 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.
26 Pope Francis. 2018. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/pope-francis.

6POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY
essential preaching of Pope Francis is the fact that the Christian God is a merciful one and at
the same time is willing to forgive the sins or the faults of its followers. More importantly, he
demands that the followers of the religion of Christianity rather than focusing on the entities
of morals and virtue should focus on the aspect of leading a good as well as a meaningful
life27. In addition to this, it is seen that unlike the earlier Popes who used to confine
themselves to the papal palace and manage the affairs of Christianity from there, Francis has
increased the visibility of the Pope. In this context, it can be said that he regularly indulges in
various kinds of interviews and also articulates his progressive viewpoints on some of the
most important issues of the world28. This is something which was rarely done by the
members of the papal palace in the earlier times.
The stance which Francis has taken on some of the major issues which the world is
facing currently is another factor that has not only contributed towards his popularity among
the masses but has also furthered the prospects of Christianity as well. For example, the
stance taken by him against the wicked problem of wicked which the majority of the under-
developed and developing nations of the world are facing currently is a commendable one29.
In this regard, it needs to be said that the earlier Popes used to send various kinds of
missionaries as well as priests to the under-developed nations for the mitigation of this
problem30. On the other hand, Francis has not only delegated belonging to the Roman
Catholic Church but has also refused to lead the lavish lifestyle that the earlier members of
27 Semán, 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.
28 Carter, Elizabeth. "The Pope and Europe: Sign o’the Times: Does Pope Francis’s Papacy Represent a New
Era for Western Europe?." In Pope Francis as a Global Actor, pp. 169-187. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018.
29 Li, Nan, Joseph Hilgard, Dietram A. Scheufele, Kenneth M. Winneg, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. "Cross-
pressuring conservative Catholics? Effects of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the US public opinion on climate
change." Climatic change139, no. 3-4 (2016): 367-380.
30 Yuengert, Andrew M. "Pope Francis, his predecessors, and the market." The Independent Review 21, no. 3
(2017): 347.

7POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY
the church before him had resorted to31. More importantly, he has repudiated the various
forms of capitalism, Marxist versions of liberation theology or even Marxism for that matter
as completely derogatory32. Furthermore, he holds the same opinions that the earlier members
of the church held against abortion, clerical celibacy, ordination of women and others yet at
the same time it is seen that he has openly protested against overdevelopment and
consumerism33. Moreover, he is one of the very first Popes to take an active stance on the
problem of climate change and has even extended his support to not the United Nations but
also the other nations of the world34. However, this liberal attitude of Francis towards
Christianity and its practices has drawn a substantial amount of criticism from the
conservative wing of the church.
There are various factors which had contributed in a substantial manner towards the
criticism which Francis is currently receiving from the conservative wing of the Roman
Catholic Church. For example, the “dirty wars” of Argentina in which Francis participated
has led the conservatives to criticize the actions of Francis35. Rooney36 is of the viewpoint that
the Church and the national governments of the various nations over the years have shared an
uncongenial relationship with each and this is one of the major reasons why the members of
31 Taylor, 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
Culture 10, no. 3 (2016): 306-78.
32 Ferrara, Pasquale. "The Concept of Periphery in Pope Francis’ Discourse: A Religious Alternative to
Globalization?." Religions 6, no. 1 (2015): 42-57.
33 Badano, Gabriele, and Alasia Nuti. "Under Pressure: Political Liberalism, the Rise of Unreasonableness, and
the Complexity of Containment." Journal of Political Philosophy 26, no. 2 (2018): 145-168.
34 Li, Nan, Joseph Hilgard, Dietram A. Scheufele, Kenneth M. Winneg, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. "Cross-
pressuring conservative Catholics? Effects of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the US public opinion on climate
change." Climatic change139, no. 3-4 (2016): 367-380.
35 Gregg, Samuel. "Understanding Pope Francis: Argentina, Economic Failure, and the Teología del
Pueblo." The Independent Review 21, no. 3 (2017): 361.
36 Rooney, 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.

8POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY
the church does not like the indulge in the political affairs of the different nations. More
importantly, the support which he has shown towards the “retired Belgian cardinal Godfried
Danneels”, who has been accused of sexual abuse and other offenses, is another factor which
has drawn much criticism from the conservatives37. In addition to this, the support shown by
him towards the “Chilean bishop Juan Barros”, who was also accused of similar charges had
also contributed in a substantial manner towards the increasing amount of criticism which he
is facing from the conservatives38.
McRobbie39 is of the viewpoint that the members of the church had since the
traditional times shown strict stance against the various sexual offenses not only committed
by the members of the church but also the general masses as well. This is one of the main
reasons why the support shown by Francis to these two members of the church has drawn
such criticism from the conservatives. In addition to these, the stance that he has shown
towards the “communion to the divorced and civilly remarried” has also generated much
criticism from the conservative wing of the church in the recent times40. However, a detailed
analysis of the stances of Francis and the decisions made by him clearly shows that they are
in synchronicity with the demands of the modern world. More importantly, he desire to bring
the papal authority from the papal palace and to spread it all over the world has not only been
much appreciated by the people but also embraced as well. Furthermore, the progressive
views of Francis and also the support that he has shown towards the current issues faced by
37 "A Conservative Catholic’s Case Against Pope Francis". 2018. The Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/a-conservative-catholics-case-against-pope-francis/2018/05/18/
ec1d20fe-4999-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b82fa28391c8.
38 "A Conservative Catholic’s Case Against Pope Francis". 2018. The Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/a-conservative-catholics-case-against-pope-francis/2018/05/18/
ec1d20fe-4999-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b82fa28391c8.
39 McRobbie, Angela. "European sexual politics-anti gender and the far right." Australian Options 87 (2018):
26.
40 Harvey, Peter Francis. "It's a Total Way of Life? Catholic Priests, Women's Ordination, and Identity
Work." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 57, no. 3 (2018): 547-566.

9POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY
the various nations and the world itself has helped him in a substantial manner to further the
cause of Christianity.
To conclude, in the recent few years it has been seen that Christianity has been
embraced by a much larger number of people in comparison to the other religions of the
world. This can be seen as the net result of the effective religious policies as well as practices
followed by the sovereign of the Christian world, namely, Pope Francis. It is pertinent to note
that in comparison to other popes of the past years some of the viewpoints of Francis are not
only progressive but at the same time have been much appreciated by the people as well.
More importantly, his attempt to change the religious practices of Christianity as per the
current needs of the people has helped in a substantial manner to further the cause of the
religion under discussion here. However, at the same time, it needs to be said that these
progressive opinions, stances taken by him and also his liberal actions have gathered much
criticism from the conservative wing of the church. In short, it can be said that despite the
criticism which he has faced, the policies and also the practices of Francis has indeed helped
him to make Christianity one of the major religions of the world.

10POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY
References
A Conservative Catholic’s Case Against Pope Francis. 2018. The Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/a-conservative-catholics-case-against-pope-
francis/2018/05/18/ec1d20fe-4999-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html?
noredirect=on&utm_term=.b82fa28391c8.
Badano, Gabriele, and Alasia Nuti. "Under Pressure: Political Liberalism, the Rise of
Unreasonableness, and the Complexity of Containment." Journal of Political Philosophy 26,
no. 2 (2018): 145-168.
Ball, Terence, Richard Dagger, and Daniel I. O’Neill. Political ideologies and the democratic
ideal. Taylor & Francis, 2016.
Bingemer, Maria Clara. "Making Some Noise for God: How to Understand Pope
Francis." Foreign Aff. 97 (2018): 164.
Carter, Elizabeth. "The Pope and Europe: Sign o’the Times: Does Pope Francis’s Papacy
Represent a New Era for Western Europe?." In Pope Francis as a Global Actor, pp. 169-187.
Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018.
Douthat, R. O. S. S. "Will Pope Francis Break the Church?." The Atlantic 1395 (2015): 31-
50.
Ferrara, Pasquale. "The Concept of Periphery in Pope Francis’ Discourse: A Religious
Alternative to Globalization?." Religions 6, no. 1 (2015): 42-57.
Glasman, Maurice. "Beloved of the people: The popularity and political mastery of Pope
Francis." Juncture 21, no. 4 (2015): 319-323.

11POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY
Gregg, Samuel. "Understanding Pope Francis: Argentina, Economic Failure, and the
Teología del Pueblo." The Independent Review 21, no. 3 (2017): 361.
Harvey, Peter Francis. "It's a Total Way of Life? Catholic Priests, Women's Ordination, and
Identity Work." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 57, no. 3 (2018): 547-566.
Ivereigh, Austen. The great reformer: Francis and the making of a radical pope. Henry Holt
and Company, 2014.
Landrum, 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.
Li, Nan, Joseph Hilgard, Dietram A. Scheufele, Kenneth M. Winneg, and Kathleen Hall
Jamieson. "Cross-pressuring conservative Catholics? Effects of Pope Francis’ encyclical on
the US public opinion on climate change." Climatic change139, no. 3-4 (2016): 367-380.
McRobbie, Angela. "European sexual politics-anti gender and the far right." Australian
Options 87 (2018): 26.
Pope Francis. 2018. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/pope-francis.
Rooney, 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.
Scannone, Juan Carlos. "Pope Francis and the Theology of the People." Theological
Studies 77, no. 1 (2016): 118-135.

12POPE FRANCIS AND CHRISTIANITY
Semán, 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.
Taylor, 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 Culture 10, no. 3 (2016): 306-78.
Yuengert, Andrew M. "Pope Francis, his predecessors, and the market." The Independent
Review 21, no. 3 (2017): 347.
Zaccaria, Francesco, Francis-Vincent Anthony, and Carl Sterkens. "Religion and civil rights
in Italy: An empirical exploration among secondary school students." In Religion and Civil
Human Rights in Empirical Perspective, pp. 91-119. Springer, Cham, 2018.