POPE FRANCIS MAKING HEADLINES - News in Review - February 2014 - Teacher Resource Guide
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News in Review – February 2014 – Teacher Resource Guide
POPE FRANCIS MAKING HEADLINES
SETTING THE STAGE:
THE PASTORAL POPE
On a cool wet March 13, 2013
thousands of people gathered in St.
Peter’s Square in Rome awaiting the
election of a new pope. 2013 was
proving to be an extraordinary year
for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.
In February Pope Benedict XVI
suddenly announced he was resigning
due to old age and declining health.
There had not been such a resignation
since the 14th century. His stunning
dedication to the poor. Then a white-robed
announcement immediately led to speculation
figure appeared on the balcony. He was not
about who would be the next successor of St.
wearing the traditional red cassock or ermine
Peter.
stole that previous newly elected popes had
With all eyes on the Vatican, cardinals from worn. He stood erect and waved to the crowd.
around the world gathered to elect the new head After a few moments he spoke to the faithful and
of the Roman Catholic Church. The first day of joked that the cardinals had looked a long way
the process did not result in a successful from Rome for a pope. Then he asked the crowd
election. No one knew how long the process to pause and pray for him; he bowed to the
would take. The next day, however, the crowd which immediately went silent. In these
traditional signal appeared — white smoke few early hours of his papacy, Pope Francis had
issuing from the Sistine Chapel chimney — already changed the tone of the papacy.
indicating that a pope had been elected. Cheers
went up from the crowd and all eyes turned to Bergoglio’s background
the balcony above the main doors of St. Peter’s These actions early in his pontificate were to
Basilica. The doors opened and a cardinal signal that this was a different pope. After all,
announced that the new pope was Cardinal Jorge his background was not one often associated
Bergoglio of Argentina. Many people in the with the papacy. As a young man Jorge
crowd did not recognize the name but it did not Bergoglio had worked as a janitor and a night
matter — a pope had been elected! club bouncer. In 1957 he entered the seminary
and decided to become a Jesuit priest. He chose
A new name, a new approach the Jesuits because he appreciated the order’s
Then the Vatican announced that the newly stress on discipline and work for social justice.
elected pope had selected the name Francis. This Father Bergoglio moved up the ranks of the
name had never been used before and order and in 1973 was named the head of the
immediately people felt there was something Jesuits in Argentina. He had to deal with a
different about this pope who named himself troubling period in Argentina’s history when
after St. Francis of Assisi, known for his anyone working in the slums of the country was
News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 12FEBRUARY 2014 – POPE FRANCIS MAKING HEADLINES
viewed as a potential communist by the military following Christ’s example. Pope Francis
government. In 1998 Bergoglio was made an continued the tradition but this time included
archbishop and led by example. He did not live women and some adolescent prisoners. This was
in the lavish archbishop’s palace but in an the first time women had been invited to
apartment. He took public transit instead of the participate in such a ceremony!
private car that former archbishops had used. He
made a point of visiting all the areas of his “Who am I to judge?”
archdiocese, with an emphasis on the poorer The next pronouncement that pleased some and
areas. In 2001 Bergoglio was named a cardinal. surprised others occurred on the pope’s visit to
Brazil in August, 2013. The pope held an
After the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, extended press conference on the plane and was
Cardinal Bergoglio went to Rome considered a asked about the possibility of gay priests
strong candidate to become the next pope. working within the Church. The pope replied:
However Cardinal Ratzinger was ultimately “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good
elected as Benedict XVI. will, who am I to judge?” The pope’s declaration
so impressed the gay community that one
Informal pope gains in popularity influential LGBT publication, The Advocate,
Since his election Pope Francis has continued to
named the pope its Person of the Year. Many
set an informal, active tone to his papacy which
marvelled that a Catholic pope could be given
has earned him praise from some quarters and
this honour by both The Advocate and the more
concern from others. His popularity has been
mainstream Time Magazine!
steadily increasing especially after people have
seen his interactions with individuals and As with other comments made by the pope,
crowds. some saw his statement as a change in the
teachings of the Catholic Church. In fact the
The day after his election, Pope Francis returned
pope was just reiterating the Church’s view that
to the hotel where he had stayed during the
all persons no matter sexual orientation should
election to pay his bill. He decided that he would
be treated with respect and compassion. But this
not move to the lavish papal apartments but take
was the first time a pope made this kind of
a room in a church-owned residence. His aids
specific call for understanding and empathy.
would find him in the morning making his own
breakfast and eating with other residents of the More controversial remarks
building. Francis indicated with the choice of his name
When he held his open air audiences where he that he intended to follow the example of St.
would drive among the people he frequently Francis of Assisi and promote the cause of the
ordered the car to stop and he would bless an poor and marginalized of society. When he was
individual, accept children handed to him for his a bishop in Argentina he made a point of visiting
blessing and one occasion he stopped and the slum areas to pray with the destitute. He has
embraced a physically challenged person. These frequently called for the church and society to
were the same type of actions associated with St. give “preferential treatment to the poor” by
Francis. advocating a more equitable distribution of
goods. In fact the pope spoke out against aspects
On Holy Thursday when Catholics of the capitalist system that he feels creates a
commemorate the last supper of Christ and his disposable culture and rewards the rich at the
apostles, the pope washed the feet of 12 people expense of the poor. These comments were
News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 13FEBRUARY 2014 – POPE FRANCIS MAKING HEADLINES
criticized by some who felt the pope was
moving too much to the left and was even “ „
The church sometimes has locked itself up in
small things, in small‐minded rules.
“
appearing to be sympathetic to communist
Just as the commandment ‘Thou shalt not
teachings.
kill’ sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the
„
Since his election in March, the pope hasn’t value of human life, today we also have to say
‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and
shown signs of changing the Church’s position inequality. Such an economy kills.
against abortion or the use of contraceptives. But
some have criticized him for not publicly
condemning these practices. The pope replied “ I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting
and dirty because it has been out on the streets,
„
rather than a Church which is unhealthy from
that he still supported these teachings but did not being confined and from clinging to its own
feel you had to talk only about these issues all security.
the time. –Pope Francis
Although this pope has won early praise from It seems this pope is a man in a hurry. This
many quarters there are some elements both might be partly due to the fact that as a young
outside and within the church community that man the pope lost a lung, and since he is 77
see him as a potential threat. His statements on years old, he may feel that he may not have a lot
capitalism and gay priests have alienated some of time to bring about change in the Church’s
segments of the Catholic Church community. role. The challenge this pope will face is
Tangible evidence of this opposition appeared pursuing his goals while not disappointing the
with some wealthy Catholics reducing their liberal wing of the church that so far has
contributions and making it known that they supported him, and not alienating the more
questioned the pope’s language. conservative elements of the church who may
feel this pope is downplaying Catholic Church
Francis the reformer teachings.
Pope Francis has let it be known that he intends
to reform the bureaucracy of the church. He has Tough work ahead
commissioned a group of trusted cardinals to A major challenge the pope will face is
review the structures of the church government responding to the United Nations report
to make it more accountable. He has led by condemning the Church for not protecting
example with his simple way of living in the children who were abused by the clergy and for
Vatican and expects others to follow his not identifying these clergy and removing them.
example. This was clearly demonstrated when The report claimed that many of the accused
he removed an archbishop from a diocese in clergy were simply moved from parish to parish.
Germany for spending millions of dollars This is an issue that has been raised in the past
refurbishing his residence. In October, 2014 the and some action has been taken. It was reported
pope will meet with bishops from all over the that during Pope Benedict’s papacy over 400
world to examine the structure and function of priests were removed from their priestly duties.
the family. He has challenged his priests and Many Catholics are looking to see how this pope
bishops to exhibit more compassion to divorced will deal with these issues.
and separated Catholics. He even admonished a
priest who refused holy communion to a child This pastoral pope leads a diverse flock which is
whose parents were not married. looking for a leader who not only preaches the
gospel but lives it.
News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 14FEBRUARY 2014 – POPE FRANCIS MAKING HEADLINES VIDEO REVIEW Pre‐viewing 1. What qualities should a leader posses if she/he is to be successful? Is the list any different for a religious leader compared to a political leader? 2. Take a few minutes to explore the website of the Holy See and examine the photos posted of Pope Francis. Based on the photos, what impression do you think the Vatican is trying to project of this new pope? www.photogallery.va/content/photogallery/en/papi/franciscus.html While viewing 1. Why is Pope Francis such an appealing personality? 2. How has this pope demonstrated that he is different from his predecessors? 3. How did Pope Francis’ comments on the role of women in the Church indicate that he is not changing official Church teaching? 4. What needs to change in people if the Church’s teachings are to be balanced? News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 15
FEBRUARY 2014 – POPE FRANCIS MAKING HEADLINES
5. How does the architecture of the new St. Giana Church reflect Pope Francis’ approach?
6. What issue could cause the most difficulty for the Pope?
Post‐viewing
1. Pope Francis criticized aspects of the capitalist system which he felt focused more on profits and the
rich at the expense of the poor. One of the strongest proponents of a pure capitalism is Ayn Rand.
Examine Rand’s website — www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_intro —
where she summarizes her philosophy. How do her views contrast with the pope’s?
Ayn Rand’s belief Pope Francis’ response
News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca 16FEBRUARY 2014 – POPE FRANCIS MAKING HEADLINES
ACTIVITY: WHAT MAKES A LEADER?
A. Pope Francis / Pope Benedict
Many people have compared Pope Francis with his predecessor Pope Benedict. Examine the following
videos of the general audiences of the two popes. What similarities and differences do you note? Which
individual is more appealing? Should people put so much weight on a pope’s effectiveness based on these
videos?
Pope Benedict: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyfq7Xoa-AY
Pope Francis (watch about 2 minutes): www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuxT354joHQ
Similarities between the popes Differences between the popes
B. Person of the Year?
Time Magazine selected Pope Francis as its Person of 2013. The criteria the magazine uses for its
selection is the person who most affected events — someone whose impact would be remembered for
many years. Based on this criteria, do you believe the pope was a good choice? Who else might you have
selected? Provide some reasons for your choice.
C. Effective leadership
Pope Francis is the leader of over 1 billion Catholics. What do you feel are the qualities of an effective
leader? Based on what you have read and heard of Pope Francis do you believe he is an effective leader?
Pope Francis:
Qualities of an effective leader
Does he have this quality?
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