Pope Francis is arguably the most powerful figure in the Catholic Church at this moment. He has to maintain such a strict lifestyle while performing many different tasks that his job and life requires. With this being said, Pope Francis is a well known face in the media. According to Carlo Nardella, a scholar for the University of Milan, the news media seems to frame the Pope as a new style and type of charisma. He explained how this traditionally separates him from the past popes and even when asked about the issue of gay marriage he exclaimed “who am I to judge” (Nardella, 2019). According to Nardella, it seems as though Pope Fracis is constantly in a fight for peace in the world and the media seems to be accurate in showing this. In an article from The New York Times, the author Horowitz mentions “Pope Francis on Thursday got on his hands and knees before the leaders of South Sudan’s government and its opposition, kissing their shoes and imploring the two men to maintain the tenuous peace that exists between them.” (Horowitz, p.1, 2019). From the picture that is posted from New York Times, it is easy to draw the realization of how humble and selfless the Pope is. It is fairly easy to recognize that he is advocating for peace through any medium. When compared to other popes in the past, Pope Francis can be portrayed as one of the most innovative popes to this day (according to media through Nardella). With this, there is a large question of what the future holds for the church and how the media that will play a part in it.
Nardella, C. (2019, April). Pope Francis’ Communicative Strategy. Presentation, Castillion Fiorentino
Horowitz, J. (2019, April 11). Pope Francis, in Pl
ea for South Sudan peace, stuns leaders by kissing their shoes. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/world/europe/pope-francis-south-sudan.html