The People's Pope

The Catholic Church changed on the 19^th of March 2013. This was the day that Cardinal Bergoglio was formally inaugurated as Pope Francis I.

His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, has staked out a very conservative position on many political issues. At one point the Pontiff had said that homosexuality was a greater threat to humanity than global warming! He also presided over a Church torn apart by sex abuse scandals all across the globe. The revelations included Priests in Ireland, the USA and Germany, where Benedict was from. It was not just the abuse of young children that shocked and angered the world, it was also the church’s reaction to it. The church consistently denied the allegations whilst concealing the truth. When the church found out that a Priest was abusing children, they did not hand them over to the police or even de-robe them. They simply moved the Priest to a different parish where they continued to abuse. Benedict was also controversial due to his involvement in World War Two. He had been a member of the Hitler Young and even flew fighter planes for Nazi Germany. So by the time Benedict resigned as Pope, the church’s reputation was in tatters.

Then along came Pope Francis. Francis was always going to be a historic Pope, he was the first non-European Pope since Gregory III of Syria died in 741 and the first Pope from the Americas.  Yet it is not the facts surrounding where he is from that make him historic, it is how he has acted and behaved since. Although still opposed to gay rights and abortion, Francis has tried to relax how fervent the Church is on these issues. When asked what his opinion was on gay people he said; “who am I to judge?” This is something his predecessor would never have said. His action on poverty is one on which he hopes to base his papacy on. In a Vatican document released earlier this week he chastised modern capitalism for its relentless pursuit of profit at the expense of the poor. He even went as far as calling it a “new tyranny”. He then went on to talk about how the Church should act saying that he would prefer a Church that was “bruised, hurting and dirty because it had been out on the streets” rather than one that is “unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”

Furthermore last month Francis suspended the Bishop of Limburg, dubbed the Bishop of bling, for spending €31 million (£26 million/$42 million) renovating his residence. Instead Francis has promised to turn the home into a soup kitchen and shelter for the homeless.

Overall this Pope is a lot more popular than Benedict ever was, particularly with those on the left. Hopefully he will put words into action and help the millions of people across the globe who are stuck in the trap of poverty.