IS THE POPE CATHOLIC?

by LEONARDO DE CHIRICO in Vol. 9 No. 2 / Oct 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35285/ucc9.2.2023.art6



In Roman Catholic history, popes have been conservative or progressive. Pope Francis’s pontificate is different. He does not fit the traditional “right” and “left” categories, although his teaching and actions have often been labeled as disruptive. He has been called “radical,” “heretical,” and even “Protestant.” Ten years after the beginning of his pontificate, this article explores some of the significant influences on his formation and assesses some critiques he has received within Roman Catholic circles. It ends by suggesting that Pope Francis is more “catholic” than “Roman” in the sense that he is more interested in expanding the “catholicity” of Rome (i.e., its inclusivity), as it was envisaged at Vatican II, than in defending its doctrinal-institutional “Roman” markers.

Keywords
Pope Francis, Vatican II, The Joy Of The Gospel, All Brothers, Roman Catholic Church
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


Back to Article List Download Journal