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Ben Bond
Prof. Sabatino Mangini
English 100
11/9/15
The Popes Position in Modern Politics
In American culture, and cultures throughout the world, the political spectrum is more or less divided into to warring fronts, left and right, conservative and liberal, Republican and Democrat, etc. Many factors can influence which side is in power such as like the condition of the economy of the nation your living in or even the religious beliefs of the citizens in the country. The Catholic Church is one of the most dominant religions in the Western World, with an estimated 1.2 billion followers (BBC) as of 2013, so it has a major impact on the lives of it's followers. Elected in March of 2013 (CNN Library), Pope Francis has given some “radical” opinions, which differ from previous papacies views on matters pertaining to abortion, climate change, among others. Because of how impactful the leader of the Church's word can be, it is often used by politicians and media to sway citizens towards a certain side of the aforementioned political spectrum. Pope Francis' message is causing turmoil in the religious and political world, due to his leniency on topics of abortion or whether or not the divorced and remarried can take holy communion as well as his stand to fight against climate change, all of these seem wrongfully skewed to favor one political agenda or another, however I believe that his messages are truly stemmed from Catholic ideologies. The Popes “radical” directive seems to be praised by the left, condemned by the right, when it should be viewed as the infallible message from the leader of the Catholic Church.
The Popes latest released encyclical details certain issues that could be interpreted as more left leaning, as opposed to the message in the past which tended to favor a more
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conservative approach. Specifically, Pope Francis seems to challenge capitalism and it's notion to disadvantage the poor and adversely affect the environment, which are two topics who's concerns are often attributed to leftism. The left is opposed towards the free market society adopted by prominent western cultures and coincide with Catholic teachings warning against idolatry of money, stances on which Pope Francis discusses in length. This is considered to be the end of a so-called alliance with the Republican GOP as the papacy begins to side more with leftist ideals and practices, and focuses less on more conservative topics of concern. (Clark)
When it comes to how modern day conservatives view Francis, the aim seems to be to discredit him, accusing him of using his message to give leftists the political favor. Normally, these right-learners have been allied with the pope, as both share similar views when it comes to issues pertaining to abortion or same-sex marriage and the like. However Francis has been quoted as saying “If someone is gay, who searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” (Times), which seems to go against the prerogative portrayed by conservatives. In defense of the right's viewpoint, poverty rates throughout the world have been dropping drastically, which goes against Francis' seemingly outdated views on socioeconomics in the modern world. In addition, Pope Francis is in support of a proposal from Cardinal Walter Kasper, which would allow the divorced to take communion, something which goes against traditional Catholic teachings of the indissolubility of marriage and the structure of the family. No matter the case, Francis' ideologies stem from core Catholic teachings applied towards an ever evolving society that we live in. (Dougherty)
Despite how the papal doctrines may be twisted into propagating an agenda for political gain, one detail seems to be overlooked by the receiving parties. The papacy does not favor liberal or conservative, they favor Catholic teachings, and Francis is a prime
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example of that. Pope Francis urges the people of the world regardless of who they are, what ideologies they follow, or what side of the political fence they choose to sit on, to take charge, and follow Christ's examples. When it comes to climate change, he offers counsel to world leaders, to take action for a better future in which our environment can thrive and through that so can we as a people. Francis challenges us to view all aspects of human life as precious, not only the parts that we see fit. He challenges us to consider whether we hold our morals to our political standpoints, or whether our our morals are expounded through the life and works of Christ and the Church. (Boyagoda)
We need not put any undue political notions so heavily upon the Popes words. The message is more than an agenda by one party or another, it is intended to help us grow in love and compassion for our fellow man. There is more to his word than a liberal agenda, or bashing conservatives, these are the words of a simple man elected to hold a position of guidance and counsel over a billion people who seek to live like Christ. Time and time again will the message of religious leaders be misinterpreted to favor one over another by those in power, but now more than ever must we analyze messages from the Church to apply them positively in our lives.
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Bibliography
BBC, World. "How Many Roman Catholics Are There in the World? - BBC News." BBC News. 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Boyagoda, Randy. "Keep the Pope Out of America’s Jagged Ideological Terrain." 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Clark, Meghan. "Francis Has Ended the Illusion of a Vatican-G.O.P. Alliance." 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
BBC, World. "How Many Roman Catholics Are There in the World? - BBC News." BBC News. 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Library, CNN. "Pope Francis Fast Facts - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Oct. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Times, Reporter. "10 Memorable Pope Francis Quotes: ‘Who Am I to Judge?’." Reporter-Times. 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Ben Bond
Prof. Sabatino Mangini
English 100
11/9/15
The Popes Position in Modern Politics
In American culture, and cultures throughout the world, the political spectrum is more or less divided into to warring fronts, left and right, conservative and liberal, Republican and Democrat, etc. Many factors can influence which side is in power such as like the condition of the economy of the nation your living in or even the religious beliefs of the citizens in the country. The Catholic Church is one of the most dominant religions in the Western World, with an estimated 1.2 billion followers (BBC) as of 2013, so it has a major impact on the lives of it's followers. Elected in March of 2013 (CNN Library), Pope Francis has given some “radical” opinions, which differ from previous papacies views on matters pertaining to abortion, climate change, among others. Because of how impactful the leader of the Church's word can be, it is often used by politicians and media to sway citizens towards a certain side of the aforementioned political spectrum. Pope Francis' message is causing turmoil in the religious and political world, due to his leniency on topics of abortion or whether or not the divorced and remarried can take holy communion as well as his stand to fight against climate change, all of these seem wrongfully skewed to favor one political agenda or another, however I believe that his messages are truly stemmed from Catholic ideologies. The Popes “radical” directive seems to be praised by the left, condemned by the right, when it should be viewed as the infallible message from the leader of the Catholic Church.
The Popes latest released encyclical details certain issues that could be interpreted as more left leaning, as opposed to the message in the past which tended to favor a more
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conservative approach. Specifically, Pope Francis seems to challenge capitalism and it's notion to disadvantage the poor and adversely affect the environment, which are two topics who's concerns are often attributed to leftism. The left is opposed towards the free market society adopted by prominent western cultures and coincide with Catholic teachings warning against idolatry of money, stances on which Pope Francis discusses in length. This is considered to be the end of a so-called alliance with the Republican GOP as the papacy begins to side more with leftist ideals and practices, and focuses less on more conservative topics of concern. (Clark)
When it comes to how modern day conservatives view Francis, the aim seems to be to discredit him, accusing him of using his message to give leftists the political favor. Normally, these right-learners have been allied with the pope, as both share similar views when it comes to issues pertaining to abortion or same-sex marriage and the like. However Francis has been quoted as saying “If someone is gay, who searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” (Times), which seems to go against the prerogative portrayed by conservatives. In defense of the right's viewpoint, poverty rates throughout the world have been dropping drastically, which goes against Francis' seemingly outdated views on socioeconomics in the modern world. In addition, Pope Francis is in support of a proposal from Cardinal Walter Kasper, which would allow the divorced to take communion, something which goes against traditional Catholic teachings of the indissolubility of marriage and the structure of the family. No matter the case, Francis' ideologies stem from core Catholic teachings applied towards an ever evolving society that we live in. (Dougherty)
Despite how the papal doctrines may be twisted into propagating an agenda for political gain, one detail seems to be overlooked by the receiving parties. The papacy does not favor liberal or conservative, they favor Catholic teachings, and Francis is a prime
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example of that. Pope Francis urges the people of the world regardless of who they are, what ideologies they follow, or what side of the political fence they choose to sit on, to take charge, and follow Christ's examples. When it comes to climate change, he offers counsel to world leaders, to take action for a better future in which our environment can thrive and through that so can we as a people. Francis challenges us to view all aspects of human life as precious, not only the parts that we see fit. He challenges us to consider whether we hold our morals to our political standpoints, or whether our our morals are expounded through the life and works of Christ and the Church. (Boyagoda)
We need not put any undue political notions so heavily upon the Popes words. The message is more than an agenda by one party or another, it is intended to help us grow in love and compassion for our fellow man. There is more to his word than a liberal agenda, or bashing conservatives, these are the words of a simple man elected to hold a position of guidance and counsel over a billion people who seek to live like Christ. Time and time again will the message of religious leaders be misinterpreted to favor one over another by those in power, but now more than ever must we analyze messages from the Church to apply them positively in our lives.
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Bibliography
BBC, World. "How Many Roman Catholics Are There in the World? - BBC News." BBC News. 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Boyagoda, Randy. "Keep the Pope Out of America’s Jagged Ideological Terrain." 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Clark, Meghan. "Francis Has Ended the Illusion of a Vatican-G.O.P. Alliance." 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
BBC, World. "How Many Roman Catholics Are There in the World? - BBC News." BBC News. 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Library, CNN. "Pope Francis Fast Facts - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Oct. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Times, Reporter. "10 Memorable Pope Francis Quotes: ‘Who Am I to Judge?’." Reporter-Times. 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.