Pope Francis Influence On Religion

Growing up Catholic, I have always been fascinated by the Pope. This man is the head of my religion, so I was interested in learning the history behind the current Pope, Pope Francis, and his predecessors. I was also interested in finding out how the Pope’s role has changed over time and what each individual has done for the religion as a whole.

Pope John XXIII was know as the ‘peoples pope’ because of his warm and friendly nature that people could relate to. He contributed socially, liturgically and politically to Christianity especially in the Catholic church. Pope John XXIII was an advocate of Christian unity, social justice, human rights and the promotion of world peace. Through his work with the Vatican II, Ecumenism, interfaith and his encyclicals as well as his initiative with world leaders he set a new task for Church and a new perception for the papacy. This in turn had a huge impact on the development and expression of Christianity worldwide

Pope John XXIII played a vital role in shaping Christianity as we know it today. He contributed socially, politically and liturgically and was a major influence in the establishment of ecumenism and interfaith dialogue between other churches and religions. He advocated Christian unity, social justice, human rights and the promotion of world peace, and his openness to all people led to him obtaining the name “Good Pope John”.

On March 13, 2013 white smoke ushered in a new era within the Roman Catholic Church. For the first time in its history, a Pope from the Americas was chosen to lead. It was expected that the newly elected American Pope, who called himself Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, would help restore the Catholic Church’s reputation, reform the clerical bureaucracy, and reinvigorate Catholic participation. In the first few months of his papacy, that is exactly what he did.

The Catholic Church trusted at that point and still affirms that the Pope is faultless. That implies that was the Pope says is never wrong, so his assertion is reality and the run the show. That is critical in the depiction of the general population's response to his discourse.

Pope Francis and the Roman Catholic Church want to destroy the Protestant Reformation, according to an Italian evangelical pastor who spoke to attendees of a conference in Orlando, Florida last week which was held to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

He further explained that “the faithful ought not to think that just because priests preside over Mass that they are more important than the people who make up the church itself” (USA Today). Pope Francis is pushing for these reforms in the church because he believes that some of the old traditions in the church are incorrect and immoral and that something needs to change for the better.

Nonetheless, anti- Catholicism still exists in different ways in modern times. While there are no longer legal prejudices that bar Catholics from holding government positions, the rhetoric still exists in every day culture. There are still individuals who are misled concerning Catholic doctrine. It is not considered inappropriate to make fun of Roman Catholic beliefs, unlike it is considered taboo to make fun of Jewish customs. For any type of insensitivity, this lies in the lack of understanding that many individuals have regarding what is truth and what is fiction and the false foundation that much of this rhetoric stands upon. For centuries Protestants were misled by the beliefs that a Catholic influence in America would introduce papal control. Today, this belief is largely overshadowed by generalized misinformation, rather than fear of domination. The government has taken measures to prevent righteous arson from fanatical groups, an improvement from the 1800’s, where the burning of Catholic churches and convents was rampant. Perhaps one aspect that has changed drastically since early American times is the amount of news media given to the pope. Currently Pope Francis is a world renowned icon who is giving a positive outlook to Catholicism with his “common man” to his homily and interaction. Pope Francis is dispelling the hierarchical stigma attached to the Catholic Church, which as illustrated, was the source of discrimination and oppression for Catholics

Social forces such as class struggle, social change, urbanization, social structures, ecclesiastical hierarchy, and policies, to name but a few, play a hand in theological formation. As the following chart shows, the social forces within internal and external boundaries serve as determining factors in the germination of Latin America and U. S. Hispanic Liberation Theology. Latin American liberation theology arose during the 1960s and 1970s resulting from a “milieu of extreme poverty, class conflict, military coups, and political turmoil in countries such as Brazil, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Progressive religious leaders began to recognize the powerful alliances between the church and the state while the vast majority of the population lived in poverty.” While addressing “the role of Christians in relationship to class oppression, the role of foreign multinational corporations, U. S. foreign policy, Latin American regimes, and military dictatorship” in its initial development, Latin American liberation theology first viewed gender and ethnic discrimination as secondary matters. This view was consequential in that the conceivers and writers of Latin America liberation theology at the time were, predominantly, Catholic male theologians operating

According to Enns (2008), liberation theology attempts to infer the holy writ through the plight of the poor. This movement originated from South America in the early 1950s when Marxism was the most popular theory among the poor. It was a response to the ill-treatment and poverty facing the ordinary people. It dealt with the issue of distribution of wealth among people in order to upgrade the economic status in life. This movement had strong Romanian Catholic roots bolstered in Colombia in 1968 at a conference where, the bishops proposed a merger between the Karl Marx teachings with those of Jesus Christ. Liberation theology support was immense but various critiques across the religious framework (Novak, 1991). This movement

Despite the age of these systems, the Catholic Church continues to operate close to them, similar to when they were adopted. The misunderstanding and prejudice towards these systems cause many people to adopt anti-Catholic beliefs for contemporary issues in America. The democratic political system in America clashes with the hierarchical lineage that the Catholic Church possesses. The problem arises when anti-Catholics claim that Catholics are un-American because they follow a hierarchy, rather than the “American” system of democracy. The democratic system allows the people to vote for their leader to govern them, however, the Catholic leader, the Pope, is not chosen by the people of the Catholic Church. Un-American criticism continues with the debates and movements on Sexism and Feminism. As women’s roles are changed, the Catholic Church is keeping true to its origins by keeping the governing body, the priesthood, bishops, Cardinals, and the Pope, a completely male role. The Church is criticized by many as being sexist and by that, un-American, for not allowing ordination for women. “Many Americans / view the church’s ban on women’s ordination largely in terms of democratic principles, or ‘rights’ and representation’” (Martin). Anti-Catholics throw up these accusations of sexism without contemplating the true role of women in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis said in an interview “’Look, in the Church women are more important than men, because the church is a woman / The Church is the bride of Jesus Christ. And the Madonna is more important that popes and bishops and priests’” (Ruiz). This governing structure, as well as other beliefs of the Catholic Church, seem confusing or silly to post-enlightenment ideas. As human philosophy has developed after the Enlightenment, the Church has kept the doctrine the same. This has not caused the anti-Catholic community to criticize

500 years ago, Catholicism was the only religion practiced in western Europe. Without having someone who cared more for the love of God rather than money, this recreation would not have succeeded. Martin Luther, a monk who believed in loving God and worshipping him without having to pay for God’s love. Martin Luther was the first person to defy the Catholic Church and succeeded by recreating an entire religion. Martin Luther’s writings and teachings began, supported, and created doctrine for the Protestant Reformation.

One important indicator on the Catholic Church’s stance on Liberation Theology and general social activism in Latin America will be to see if Archbishop Oscar Romero is accepted into sainthood. The iconic and controversial religious leader worked tirelessly to help the lower-class in El Salvador. His teachings and beliefs that the marginalized peasants should be treated justly made him a living legend among his countrymen and isolated him from the nation’s corrupt elites. Although he never specifically condoned violence, his sermons played no small part in fomenting a bloody peasant uprising and civil war that raged for over a decade. In the last few years, a strong effort has been made to canonize Romero. Although he is revered not only in his own country but throughout the world, there exist a few issues that could possibly preclude him for becoming a saint. He is still strongly disliked by the vast majority of the wealthy and powerful ruling class of El Salvador, he, indirectly and inadvertently, helped bring about a violent conflict that ravaged his nation and, perhaps most importantly, his canonization may appear to be a carte blanche validation of Liberation Theology and the Marxist uprisings that were often associated with the movement. The canonization of Oscar Romero will redefine the seminal ideal of a modern-day saint and could quite

The church has changed significantly across the years. Different pope’s and era’s of the church and its history show how far it has advanced since its beginnings. These changes has helped it become more open to all kinds of people and cultures. I believe this gives hope to the catholic church’s faithful as the history of the pope’s and the church show that it’s willing to be more open to the people that follow the religion that goes with it.

Roman Catholic and its way of controlling things. Martin Luther, a reformer along with John