His Smile Lights the World: Four Years of Francis and Catholic Social Teaching
By Julia Greenwood
When he created an Instagram account a year ago, he reached a million followers in less than twelve hours—a world record. Pope Francis' Twitter accounts in various languages have amassed over 30 million followers. And, of course, he leads a Church of 1.2 billion members.
When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope four years ago, the world did not know quite what to expect of the Jesuit from Argentina. Since March 2013, Pope Francis has become one of the most beloved figures on the world’s stage, endearing himself to Catholic faithful and non-Catholics alike. His smile “lights up the world,” as John Carr noted at an Initiative event in December. Throughout his papacy, Francis has brought his own distinct touch to his interaction with and development of Catholic Social Thought. In honor of his four years in the Vatican, here are a few highlights:
Human Life and Dignity, Broadly Oriented
Francis has taken care to extend his focus beyond topics traditionally characterized as life issues; he stated in an interview early in his papacy that the Church must not be obsessed narrowly with issues such as abortion and contraception. Rather, he has emphasized encounter with and the dignity of all of God’s people. He celebrated Holy Thursday in 2015 by washing the feet of inmates, for instance, and he opted to break bread with the homeless after addressing Congress during his visit to the United States. This love and respect shapes Francis’ approach to world issues. In a recent address to members of the Diplomatic Corps about migrants and refugees, he urged them not to reduce the current crisis to “a simple matter of numbers,” saying that “[t]here can never be true peace as long as a single human being is violated in his or her personal identity and reduced to a mere statistic or an object of economic calculation.”
Care for Creation and Resisting the Throwaway Culture
Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si, “On Care for Our Common Home,” which spoke extensively to the relationship between humans and our earth, stimulated much dialogue around environmental issues and placed a new emphasis on care for creation in Catholic Social Thought. Pope Francis wrote, after all, that “we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each of his creatures,” a love, Francis said, “that unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother river, and mother earth.” As such, Francis calls all people to resist what he has termed the ‘throwaway culture,’ his characterization of the culture that that disregards and disregards creation.
A Church in the Streets
Aside from the specific issues that Pope Francis has highlighted during his four years in the Vatican, his approach to Catholic Social Thought too is notable. In a 2013 interview published in America, he articulated his vision for the Church: “as a field hospital after battle.” Today’s Church, he said, needs to “heal the wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful.” Throughout his papacy, Francis has certainly not shied away from the battlefront; he has spoken out about a host of difficult issues. Neither has he forgotten to warm hearts along the way—just take a look at Pope Francis' Instagram, for starters.
Join the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life for its event "The Francis Factor after Four Years: A Dialogue on Pope Francis’ Message for the United States," as the papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christopher Pierre, discusses Francis’ papacy and global leadership. The event will take place on Monday, March 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Georgetown’s Intercultural Center Auditorium.
Julia Greenwood (C'19) is an undergraduate studying American studies at Georgetown.