Despite Western conservative backlash, Pope Francis aligns more with mainstream Catholicism than the public perceives.

Katelyn Montalvo | Contributing Writer

Mid-November on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” Sarah Palin commented on the pope’s liberal agenda, which the media has chalked up to include issues such as homosexuality, contraception and divorce, insinuating that the pope leans to the left in these concerns.

“He’s had some statements that to me sound kind of liberal, [and that] has taken me aback, [and] has kind of surprised me,” Palin said. However, she also admitted, “Unless I really dig deep into what his messaging is, and do my own homework, I’m not going to just trust what I hear in the media.”

Pope Francis is arguably set on reforming the Catholic Church, but not exactly in ways that popular media have proposed.

These rumors seemed to spark from a Vatican questionnaire sent out in early October regarding issues of the family. The questionnaire was distributed to bishops worldwide, asking the opinion of the church laity. The survey is meant to help prepare for next October’s “extraordinary synod,” a gathering of select bishops called by the pope, to discuss the topic “Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization.”

“‘New Evangelization’ refers to the Catholic Church’s obligation to preach the Word of God, especially to Catholics who no longer live in conformity with Reason or Revelation, as evidenced by the sorts of questions in the survey,” explained Dr. Edmund Mazza, professor of history and political science at APU, who was in Rome during the 2012 synod.

The Vatican questionnaire high- lights issues such as marriage according to natural law, cohabitation before marriage, divorce, same-sex unions, the education of children in nontraditional marriages and the relationship between the family and the person. The fact that it begs these questions to the Catholic laity is significant.

According to Father Mike Grieco, associate pastor of St. Frances of Rome Church in Azusa, Pope Francis is trying to understand how to minister to differ- ent kinds of people through the survey results.

“He’s a pastor, not a church bu- reaucrat,” Grieco said. “The Catholic Church is a huge institution that has the tendency to be cold, imperson- al and at times judgmental, but Pope Francis is directing our focus back to our pastoral roots: compassion, respect, love, kindness, and I am encouraged by his example.”

Father Grieco used a poignant met- aphor to describe how he interprets the pope’s purposes behind the survey and said, “He wants us [priests and bishops] to smell like the sheep. As shepherds, we are to roam among the sheep or the people.”

Grieco finds the essential message of the survey to be: “How do we minister to the poorest of the poor?”

This was an important issue that St. Francis of Assisi struggled with his whole life. As a wealthy “capitalist” who tried giving away his family’s wealth to the poor, St. Francis is said to have received a message from Jesus to “reform my church.”

According to Dr. Mazza, St. Francis of Assisi preached about necessity of repentance and conforming our will to God’s will. St. Francis of Assisi also emphasized the necessity of praying for and helping the materially and spiritually poor Mazza said.

Pope Francis, formerly known as Cardinal Bergolio, chose the name of Francis intentionally, so as to reform the Catholic Church in the same way.

“He chose that name on purpose to show solidarity with the poor,” Grieco said. “The vestments he chooses to wear are very simple. He chose to live in a simple guesthouse, rather than the Vatican. These are bold statements.”

Pope Francis is of the Jesuit order, which comes with certain stereotypes, such as the idea that Jesuits are usually well-educated and tend to be more liberal in their thinking. However, Pope Francis himself declared he was “a son of the Church,” and it is unlikely that he will attempt to alter Catholic doctrine in any large way. It seems instead that the new pope recognizes the disjunction between Church teaching and the beliefs of Catholic laity, specifically regarding issues of divorce, contraception and homosexuality.

The Catholic Church’s Catechism teaches that divorce is “immoral” and “a grave offense against natural law.” However, a 2012 Pew Research poll dis- covered that only 19 percent of Catholics believe divorce to be morally wrong, 32 percent believe it to be morally acceptable and 45 percent believe it not to be a moral issue at all.

Much of the same may be said on the issue of contraception in the same poll. Only 15 percent of Catholics see it as morally wrong, 41 percent think it is morally acceptable, and 36 percent do not see it as a moral issue at all.

Regarding homosexuality, the Catholic Catechism clearly states, “Homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” However, in comparing Pew Research polls in 2003 and 2013, it is evident that a drastic change has occurred with regard to popular opinion. In 2003, 51 percent of Catholics opposed same-sex marriage and 38 percent were in favor. In 2013, a similar poll resulted in 37 percent in opposition and 54 percent in favor of same-sex marriage. Remaining percentanges include those who held no opinion.

“The overwhelming majority of Catholics today, as the most people in the West, follow along with popular culture and the media and the press, not with the Pope, the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church,” APU history professor Dr. Mazza said.

The Catholic Church is now dealing with a different question than they were in older times Mazza said. The Church is trying to figure out how to get the message of the Gospel out to people who have dismissed it as irrational or backward. Pope Francis is trying to answer this question.

“He has avoided being drawn into a caricature of an old celibate guy imposing rules by avoiding declarations against sins that are already well catalogued in the Catechism,” Mazza said. “The Pope wants to demonstrate that there is no contradiction between love and truth.”

A simple Google image search of the new pope will bring up pictures of Pope Francis washing the feet of prisoners and kissing young children, the disabled and the disfigured. He has visited immigrant refugee camps and invited the homeless to dine in Vatican City.

“I like that he’s challenging all these stereotypes. There are a lot of misconceptions about the church,” senior Amanda Eckersall said. A conservative Catholic, graphic design major and religious studies minor, Eckersall finds the new pope to be witty, humble and engaging.

Regarding the rumored changes that might occur resulting from the Vatican questionnaire, however, Eckersall takes a firm stance.

“Why would you be Catholic if you don’t agree with Catholic teachings?” Eckersall asks. “The pope should align himself with 2,000 years of tradition, and the Church needs to make sure they teach doctrine.”

The reform the Pope Francis is bringing to the Catholic Church is evidenced by his actions, which are not quite what popular media have portrayed.

In an interview conducted on the Pope’s return flight from Rio last July, the Pope pondered, “If a person is fay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge him?” Many have taken this statement to mean that Pope Francis is in favor of the ordination of homosexuals to the clergy. However, in 2012 when Pope Francis was still Cardinal Bergolio, de declared a fight against legalizing gay marriage in Argentina, claiming it was the work of the devil.

While there may not be reform in the arena of social issues, such as gay marriage any time soon within the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has lived up to his name regarding reform between economic classes. On Oct. 22, Pope Francis suspended German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg for his extravagant lifestyle (when his bishop’s residence costs rose to over 30 million Euros).

“Initial results suggest his approach is working,” Mazza said.

Researcher Massimo Introvigne reported in an article for The Guardian that a survey of 250 Italian Catholic priests showed that 51 percent reported a rise in church attendance since Pope Francis received his current position. Further, Global Language Monitor reported “Pope Francis” to be the most- used name on the Internet in 2013.

Whether or not you agree with Pope Francis and the Church’s doctrinal position, it’s interesting to see the new pope gain followers by not appealing to people’s opinions on issues. Since becoming pope, he has noticeably downplayed his stance on issues of orthodoxy. Instead, he has gained public favor by loving people through action. Afterall, St. Francis of Assisi is rumored to have coined the phrase, “Preach at all times and when necessary, use words.”