If there is one word with which to describe the personality of the current occupant of the Holy See, it would be “complex”. He is being simultaneously lauded and decried by the representatives of quite different organizations and ideologies for seemingly incompatible things: for establishing the cult of his personality and for fighting it, for humility both demonstrative and genuine, for progressiveness both real and decorative.
All in all, it would be right to say that in many respects he certainly differs from his predecessors, but perhaps his popularly known image as a progressive, humble Pope with moderate views aiming to reform the Church is a bit one-sided.
For example, speaking about Pope Francis’s well-known humility – when it is reported by news agencies, it often seems as if he now eschews formality and decadent luxury characteristic of his predecessors, especially Benedict XVI. In reality, Benedict XVI was no less, and probably more humble in his everyday life – just a lot less demonstrative about it than his successor. It doesn’t mean that Pope Francis is being hypocritical – by no means. It simply means that these two popes were both good people, each in their own fashion.
Nevertheless, when it comes to progressivism, Pope Francis is probably the most prominent public figure the Catholic Church has seen for a long time. This is the area in which he is certainly quite active. Despite keeping strong stance on all the core elements of Catholic beliefs and culture, Pope Francis shows considerable readiness for dialogue and makes impressive efforts to increase the Church’s relevance in today’s world.
This willingness to establish and maintain communication, even with those traditionally opposed to the Church, is another characteristic trait of the current Pope. Among other things, he is known for ecumenical effort aimed at other branches of Christianity (e.g., meeting the leader of Russian Orthodox Church for the first time in history), and openness to respectful and mutually beneficial dialogue with other faiths, primarily Judaism and Islam.
His recent visit to Mexico has resulted into the claim that women can use contraception to avoid Zika virus. That is a controversial statement indeed that is unusual to hear from the leader of the Catholic Church. As a result, there are now numerous questions around the Internet that bring up the issue of AIDS and doubt the reasonableness of the Holy See’s public utterances. This is a small example of the Pope’s disputable behavior and it surely can be completed by other instances.
Nevertheless, it would probably be wrong to say that Pope Francis is unique and cardinally different from all his predecessors. Yes, he is unique – but only in the sense that every Pope before him was unique and had his own manner of rule.
References
- Ahmed, Azam, Jim Yardley. “In Mexican Slum, Pope Francis Laments Economic Gap.” The New York Times. Feb. 14 2016
- Carroll, Rory. “’A new era for Juarez’: pope’s visit hails optimism for a city ravaged by drug wars.” The Guardian. 11 2016
- Douthat, Ross. “Clash of the Populists.” The New York Times. 20 2016
- Herper, Matthew. “Zika Shows It’s Time for the Catholic Church to Rethink It’s Stance on Birth Control.” Feb. 23 2016
- Lartey, Jamiles. “Pope Francis finds himself in US immigration debate after Mexico visit.” The Guardian. 17 2016
- Shepherd, Marshall. “How Pope Francis Is Changing the Climate Change Conversation.” Nov. 16 2015
- Thornton, John F., Susan B. Varenne. The Essential Pope Benedict XVI. His Central Writings and Speeches. New York, NY, 2007. Print