ABSTRACT
A strong case can be made that Pope Francis is not a liberal but a radical. In a remarkably short time, he has changed the tone and accent of the Church’s public voice, rejecting cultural warfare and placing a critique of economic inequality at the heart of his papacy. While Francis’s emphasis on the excesses and injustices of capitalism gratifies progressives and troubles conservatives, these commitments are rooted less in politics in any conventional sense than in his deep identification with the life of Jesus and his profound relationship with a God of mercy. This article explores the depth and range of Francis’s revival of Catholic social teachings, from his emphatic statements on the need to address climate change, to his censure of President Donald Trump’s calls for a ban on Muslims and a wall at the border, to his famous ‘Who am I to judge?’ response when asked about LGBT priests and lay Catholics. It contrasts Francis’s papacy with that of his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and argues that as pope, Francis is continuing a uniquely Catholic engagement with modernity that began with Vatican II.
