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2018 | Buch

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Pope Francis as a Global Actor

Where Politics and Theology Meet

herausgegeben von: Alynna J. Lyon, Christine A. Gustafson, Paul Christopher Manuel

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buchreihe : Palgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" , Springer Professional "Technik"

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Über dieses Buch

Pope Francis confuses many observers because his papacy does not fit neatly into any pre-established classificatory schemes. To gain a deeper appreciation of Francis’s complicated papacy, this volume proposes that an interdisciplinary approach, fusing concepts derived from moral theology and the social sciences, may properly situate Pope Francis as a global political entrepreneur. The chapters in this volume ask what difference it makes that he is the first pope from Latin America, how and why different countries in the world respond to him, how his understanding of scripture informs his ideas on economic, social, and environmental policy, and where politics meets theology under Francis. In the end, this volume seeks to provide a more robust understanding of the enigmatic papacy of Francis.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Erratum to: Sign o’ the Times: Does Francis’ Papacy Represent a New Era for Western Europe?

Elizabeth Carter

Where Politics Meets Theology Under Pope Francis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Eluding Established Categories: Toward an Understanding of Pope Francis

Abstract

Pope Francis overturns the applecart of many classificatory schemes. He genuinely confuses most political observers because his papacy does not fit neatly into any such scheme. To gain a deeper appreciation of Francis’s complicated papacy, this volume proposes that an interdisciplinary approach, fusing the concepts derived from the fields of moral theology and the social sciences, may properly situate Pope Francis. It starts with a brief literature review of both the popular and the scholarly work on Francis, and then moves on to a general overview of the key characteristics of his papacy in thought, word, and deed. First, in thought: in his encyclicals and his apostolic exhortations, Francis challenges Catholics and, indeed, all people of good will to morally engage and care for the poor, the environment, the neighbor, and the other. Second, in word: through speeches, twitter, and other social media, this pope has gone public and seeks out audiences beyond the global Catholic community. Finally, in deed: Francis is distinct in his actions, in terms of both his own placement and the political activism he calls for, perhaps best exemplified by his rejection of the world of consumerism, highlighted by his Fiat in lieu of a limousine.

Alynna J. Lyon, Christine A. Gustafson, Paul Christopher Manuel

Chapter 2. How the Theological Priorities of Pope Francis Inform His Policy Goals

Abstract

As discussed in the introduction of this volume, social scientists trying to make sense of the complicated and confusing papacy of Francis face an array of conceptual difficulties. This chapter seeks to contribute to a more robust understanding of Pope Francis by an examination of how his priorities inform his policy goals, with a focus on Evangelii Gaudium. The chapter further argues that the theology of the people helps to explain his theological reasoning, apostolic exhortations, and encyclicals, as well as his policy priorities. Finally, it also suggests that the field of moral theology offers social scientists a novel vocabulary to dialog about how Pope Francis sees, understands, and prioritizes his papacy.

Paul Christopher Manuel

Chapter 3. The First Jesuit Pope: The Contribution of His Jesuit Charism to His Political Views

Abstract

As the first Jesuit Pope, Francis occupies a singular place in history. The Jesuit order is the only order that takes an oath of obedience directly to the Vicar of Christ, so as the first Jesuit Pope, he technically reports to himself—making him the Jesuit with the most power in the over 500-year history of the order. This chapter will discuss “the Jesuit angle” of the new pope, which implies (1) the “so what” question, of what difference it makes to Francis’s papacy, (2) the larger “identity” question (or how Jesuits understand the meaning of Catholicism, and what implications that holds for the church under a Jesuit pope), and (3) the “timing” question, which implies both the past (why did it take so long for a Jesuit to become pope?) and the present (the larger implications of his Jesuit identity, as well as the distinctiveness of his Jesuit vision for political positions).

Thomas Massaro

Chapter 4. Eternal Law and Environmental Policy: Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, and a Thomistic Approach to Climate Change

Abstract

The inspiration and methodology for Pope Francis’s environmental encyclical, Laudato Si’, has been credited to various philosophical and theological sources. One such influence that may not have received the attention that it deserves (though it is consistent with Pope Francis’ background and training as a Jesuit) is the moral theology of Saint Thomas Aquinas. In particular, the encyclical’s attention to climate change and its biological, economic, moral, and social implications for the planet are highly consistent with an underappreciated category of law within the Thomistic tradition, which is the eternal law. Understanding this influence provides broader insights into the reconciliation of faith and reason in support of the sort of environmental and social justice policies that this encyclical appears to promote.

James T. McHugh

Chapter 5. Love the Prisoner, Ban the Substance: Pope Francis and the War on Drugs

Abstract

Pope Francis has been embraced by progressives in the English-speaking world for his anti-capitalist rhetoric, even as his position on the War on Drugs is at odds with their commitments. By the same token, his support for criminalization does not completely align with conservative arguments. As such, Francis’s third way provides a useful alternative to the binary in American politics. However, the legitimacy of this third way is being challenged by strong arm rulers who use the War on Drugs to terrorize their population, such as President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines. Natural law arguments would provide a much stronger restraint on abusive policies, but that is not Francis’ approach. Rather than condemn brutal policies, Pope Francis focuses on building a people. Will that distinction survive the pope’s association with authoritarian rulers?

Margaret MacLeish Mott

Chapter 6. “To Show Concern”: Early Coverage of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis in the American National News Media

Abstract

Portraits and video coverage of the pope are familiar and standardized, strongly centered on religious events. Popes are pictured giving blessings, celebrating mass, and offering wisdom; popes are seldom presented to the public as taking selfies, addressing governments, or identifying themselves as the servants of “others.” Pope Francis, however, has firmly and consistently rejected this dichotomizing of the religious and the secular. Instead, he has fulfilled his own call “to show concern for the building of a better world” (Evangelii Gaudium, 150) through his continuing outreach, whether in Saint Peter’s Square or traveling throughout the world. Moreover, Francis has deliberately amplified his message by facilitating a visual record of his actions for delivery through print, broadcast, and electronic media. But how does coverage of Francis compare with that accorded his two immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI? More specifically, what do front-page articles and photographs reveal about these popes? About the papacy?

MaryAnne Borrelli

The Global Politics of Pope Francis

Frontmatter

Chapter 7. Pope Francis as a Global Policy Entrepreneur: Moral Authority and Climate Change

Abstract

In June 2015, the Vatican released Laudato Si’, the first papal encyclical focused on environmental issues. Then, in a speech during the United Nations’ (UN’s) Seventieth Anniversary Celebration in September 2015, the pope warned against “a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity.” He went on to proclaim that “Any harm done to the environment, therefore, is harm done to humanity.” The timings of these developments are significant as both were ahead of the September 2015 adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the December 2015 Climate Conference in Paris. This chapter examines Pope Francis as a policy entrepreneur whose language and timing both influences the framing of the climate change debate and creates moral implications surrounding environmental neglect. Building on work from social movement theory, the chapter provides an analysis on the confluence of Pope Francis’s ethical framework and his policy activism. Pope Francis’s engagement with the UN system is presented as a case study. Overall, the chapter examines the impact of the “Francis Factor” on discourse, public opinion, and global policy formation surrounding climate change.

Alynna J. Lyon

Chapter 8. The Pope and the United States: Faith as Dialogue

Abstract

Given the difficult relationship between the minority Catholics and majority Protestant population in the United States since its founding, many never expected to witness a pope addressing Congress. But it happened, and his speech did not disappoint: Pope Francis sought to move the narrow political agendas of both Republicans and Democrats to the larger questions facing our times. He did so by referencing the transformative works of four great Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., and Thomas Merton. By pointing out their great contributions in response to the human need of their day, Pope Francis was urging both sides to use their power to adopt policies that would promote the general welfare, by finding God in our neighbor (i.e., “the migrant is a modern-day pilgrim”). The media fascination with which side won is not the right question to pose. Rather, his address needs to be understood in terms of the larger struggles facing humankind.

Anne Marie Cammisa

Chapter 9. The Pope and Europe: Sign o’ the Times: Does Pope Francis’s Papacy Represent a New Era for Western Europe?

Abstract

This chapter argues that while Francis maintains consistency with core Catholic social teachings, his principal ideas for Western Europe represent a change from previous popes. The words, actions, and priorities of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis reflect the Europe they find themselves in as well as their direct experiences with political oppression, economic exclusion, and the human consequences of sociopolitical economic ideologies. The Cold War is over, and the initial optimism from global economic and political integration has dissipated. Today we find a Europe struggling to cope with unprecedented migration flows and a populist far-right backlash. Pope Francis’s direct economic and political experiences of poverty under a liberal capitalist order in Argentina contrast against the Central and Eastern European experience of poverty in Marxist socialism—an ideological experiment witnessed firsthand by Karol Wojtyła (later known as Pope John Paul II). Pope Francis’s explicit emphasis on the poor, the excluded, and the marginalized indicates a change in tenor from past popes and results from both Europe’s current crises and Francis’s direct experience living and working with the poor and marginalized in Buenos Aires.

Elizabeth Carter

Chapter 10. The Pope and Latin America: Mission from the Periphery

Abstract

What difference does it make that Pope Francis is from Latin America? One of his first visits as Pope was to the World Youth Conference in Rio de Janeiro, and he has made several well-publicized trips to other destinations in the Americas since then. Catholicism certainly has its challenges in Latin America, but it is still the dominant religion and has a rich and distinctive history in the region. This chapter contextualizes Pope Francis in the historical background of the last fifty years in Latin America. It focuses on the socioeconomic and political drama of those decades as well as on the development of a distinctive pastoral mind-set (including a view of politics) among the highest leaders of the Church in Latin America. When he was a cardinal, Pope Francis’s participation in the Conference of Aparecida in 2007—in which he played a leading role—was absolutely critical in the development of his vision for church and society moving forward.

Christine A. Gustafson

Chapter 11. The Pope and Asia: Building Bridges—Reconciliation with the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

The Vatican’s most tenacious problem in Asia remains the reconciliation of the Greater Chinese Catholic Church, whose Mainland Catholic communities are disconnected from the Holy See and the Catholic communities in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao. From the Vatican viewpoint, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the core problem as it has assumed hegemonic control over society and severed links with the universal Church. While John Paul II initiated reconciliation in the early 1980s, Pope Francis started the newest phase in March 2013. By February 2017, both sides reached a preliminary consensus to end the division between the official and unofficial Chinese Catholic communities. To achieve reconciliation, Pope Francis has adopted an inculturation strategy that builds upon shared cultural values, an accommodation strategy that cooperates with but does not serve the party-state, and an implementation strategy that relies on consultation and papal authority.

Lawrence C. Reardon

Chapter 12. Pope Francis and India: Mutual Enrichment and Challenges

Abstract

A new Pentecost seems to have accompanied Pope Francis on to the papal scene: a revival of the heart, beyond the head; a revival of wisdom, beyond knowledge; a revival of mercy and forgiveness, beyond rules and regulations and judgment and condemnation; an advent of joy and hope, beyond the mundane reality of struggle and suffering. There is also call to an expansion of horizon beyond our narrow domestic walls of religious segregations: a call to an inclusiveness taking all aboard beyond an exclusivist indifference. This chapter will examine both the theological and political challenges of the theology of Pope Francis in India, as well as the Indian challenges to Francis. India is a Hindu-majority country, with a minority Catholic population. The Catholic Church runs an extensive network of schools and hospitals in India and is widely praised for the excellence of its services. The work of Saint Teresa of Calcutta is also widely admired. However, the recent rise of Hindu nationalist parties and the overall tensions in India related to religion (Muslim, Christian, and Hindu) provide a complicated environment for Pope Francis.

John Chathanatt

Chapter 13. “You Are Instead a Gift”: Pope Francis’s Response to Global Migration and the Refugee Crisis

Abstract

In an era marked by record levels of migration, Pope Francis counters contemporary anti-immigrant sentiment through his rhetoric, writing, and symbolic actions, reimaging unfavorable attitudes toward migrants. Francis’s speeches and pronouncements characterize migrants as a “gift” to receiving countries and as having “the face of God and flesh of Christ.” Francis has accompanied Syrian refugees from Greece to Italy as a “gesture of welcome” and washed the feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu, and Catholic refugees at Holy Thursday services. His international travel choices are guided in part by the desire to greet migrants in their receiving/host environments and to address the anti-immigrant environments they inhabit. Francis links the destruction of migrants’ places of origin and their need to migrate with an unequal distribution of resources, disregard for the planet’s resources by capitalism run rampant, and conflict fanned by intolerance and greed. In restructuring Vatican offices, Francis has raised the prominence of migration, placing it in a new Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development that reports directly to him. However, despite the Pope’s attention to migrants and his effort to change the frame in which migrants are viewed, the chapter finds limited impact to date of the “Francis Effect” on Catholics’ views on migration.

Tara Carr-Lemke, Miguel Glatzer

Backmatter

Titel: Pope Francis as a Global Actor
herausgegeben von: Alynna J. Lyon
Christine A. Gustafson
Paul Christopher Manuel
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-71377-9
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71376-2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71377-9