Do you think Pope Francis will bring people back to the Catholic faith?

1. 59

   New Understandingposted 10 years ago

   Do you think Pope Francis will bring people back to the Catholic faith?

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   rclinton5280posted 10 years ago

   No, I don't. The scandal related to the religion will tarnish it for many years to come.

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      New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I know that was the last straw for many, for me it came much earlier for many reasons, but as I commented to David, he is the first Pope to update Vatican law to criminalize sexual abuse, so he's working for real change it seems. Time will tell.

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3. 93

   watergeekposted 10 years ago

   I think people are getting smart about religion and realizing that spirituality is a personal thing, not a religious one. If they need a religion as a means to access their spiritual self, they'll choose the one that best speaks to them. If they don't need it, they'll borrow a spiritual practice from here and there, like meditation, chanting, spiritual readings, study groups, etc. - whatever helps them open up and trust more.
   
   Church, for me, is where I go for spiritual companionship. Most of the actual spiritual progress I make is at home alone or out in nature. And statistics show I'm not alone. In the US people are dropping like flies out of all religions across the board.

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      jonnycomelatelyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent answer, Susette.  A deep but practical concern for the planet and everything that lives in/on it, not just us humans, is in effect giving respect and honour to any "god" one likes to worship.  Pope obsolete!

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      David Trujilloposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Agree completely. The "Catholic Faith" doesn´t mean anything. Personal actions are what count no matter the religion or belief.

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      skgraoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I like your comment let this be made in to a Hub so that more people can read.

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      New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I never felt spiritual growth while practicing Catholicism and left the church by the time I was 20 . But I have to admire his "ordinary" lifestyle.  You can't reach out if you're sitting on a throne.

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   suzettenaplesposted 10 years ago

   I like Pope Francis a lot and I think he is going to make a great pope.  He seems to be genuinely interested and concerned about the poor and disenfranchised of the world.  He certainly has his priorities in the right place.  He seems to sincerely love his flock.  I love that he was driven or drove himself around in a Smart car in Brazil.  It really made me chuckle.
   
   However, I don't think he alone can bring people back to the Catholic faith.  I think the Catholic church needs to modernize and catch up with the thousands of years it is behind society.  It has pretty much been going backwards to the  middle ages as far as beliefs and doctrine under the last pope.   If it can modernize and catch up to the 21st century, then it may have a chance of bringing people back.  At least Pope Francis is trying to root out corruption.  He has fired some of the Vatican cardinals that have been steeped in power, tradition and money for decades.
   
   If he can do something to ease the pain of those that have been involved in the sexual abuse that really has gone out throughout the world, then perhaps.  But many Catholics are disillusioned by the sexual scandals and this has caused died in the wool Catholics to leave the church.  Sadly, I don't think one pope can bring back people to the church.  It will take monumental changes in the church and its doctrine to interest people in returning.

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      New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes suzettenaples I agree.  He's proving he means business, but people are moving past the belief you have to go to confession or else!  He will only be able to do so much, but if the church is to survive there has to be many changes ahead.

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   Frank Menchiseposted 10 years ago

   Pope Francis will try to do his best, but most likely will fail to bring back the Catholic faith to most of them, you see, the days when religions ruled over everybody are gone; therefore the only part that he may succeed is that he will be able to keep the poor people believing in religions and that is the best he can do these days. If we observe closely enough this is what the Pope is aiming for, because from the ways he behaves and preaches this is what he stands for, whether this is going to be right or wrong for the Catholic religion it is hard to say at the present time; we just have to wait and see.

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      New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Frank, like suzettenaples said too, the church has not kept up with the evolution of people's expanded beliefs.  Spirituality is growth, Religion unfortunately has been more about power and control.

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   Billrrrrposted 10 years ago

   Pope Francisco is treading on dangerous ground.  He has angered the power brokers by trying to make the church responsive to the needs of the people. 
   
   The last Pope to navigate this course (John Paul) died under still unexplained circumstances - think 'rubbed out'.
   
   It is not just the Borgias who know the secrets of poison. 
   
   Francisco must play ball with the old boy network, or .......

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      David Trujilloposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I doubt this. Although I agree John Paul was killed by a conspirational group with their own interests, in the present there is no real threat he represents to capitalism or other ruling orders.

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      New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      He has no fear and as a true man of God he shouldn't.  If you "play ball" then you're no better then politicians. It takes great courage to fight an up hill battle.  I'm sure he knows the risks.

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   skgraoposted 10 years ago

   What ever is faith follow it with faith and worship whom so ever you want and let Pope Francis bring peace in Arab Countries.

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      New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That would be a wonderful thing and extraordinary!

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   David Trujilloposted 10 years ago

   Could be. Atleast people feel more comfortable with what appears to be an honest and humble man. His actions will tell us if he truly is a spiritual leader or another political cartoon that utilizes the church as an enterprise. So far I haven´t heard of a Pope that travels around teaching true spiritual values. They all pray and sit on a chair, but no action. Lets hope Francis really sits on a position of not only teaching but changing the world for good with actions. And by actions I mean using the Church economic, political, and popular power to change the wrongs of this world.

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      Andre Sanchezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      By your standards, Jesus Christ was a failure as well.

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      David Trujilloposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Why? Jesus did focus on changing the world around him.

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      Andre Sanchezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      When? You could at most say he focused on changing people's attitude towards the world around them but he did that by promising salvation from death, not by saying "Let's build a better world!". The Bible says this world is doomed already.

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      David Trujilloposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Is the world doomed already? Everything comes and goes and this world will find an end but there will be other beginings. Death is simply another begining, not the end. Jesus work was to point people into the right direction but he did use his own...

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   5. 59

      New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It's true, it's very early to see if he can accomplish real change, but he seems ready to task it.  He even updated Vatican laws, criminalizing sexual abuse so we'll have to see if he truly enforces it.  I have hope he will

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      watergeekposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      What Andre??? Maybe you misunderstood what David was saying. I hear him being cautious about Pope Francis, hoping his actions are true, but not automatically believing it. Kind of a wait and see. What he's described as wanting is what Jesus did.

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      Andre Sanchezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Jesus didn't "use economic, political, and popular power to change the wrongs of this world". In fact, he didn't work and he didn't do charity at all. When he helped people, it was always in a miraculous way, not a wordly one. All he did was "teach".

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      watergeekposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You use the tools that you have. Pope Francis has a lot more tools and connections that Jesus did, but Jesus still created his own team and followers. He had spiritual training and he used it. He influenced his followers to share food and money, etc.

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   savvydatingposted 10 years ago

   Yes. No matter what anyone thinks, he is genuine. As an individual, he is the real deal. Having said that, some Catholics will come back, but I do not expect a huge revival - at least not a sustained one. I'm not a Catholic, but I like Pope Francis.. Frankly, I think he's awesome; he is NOT business as usual.

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      New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      He seems to be a hope for a kinder, more accepting faith, although it still has too much conflicting ideology which is the core of Catholicism.

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    Andre Sanchezposted 10 years ago

    All I hear from him is the usual socialist nonsense that latin americans are so fond of. He could be an atheist presidential candidate if not for the meaningless inclusion of the word "christ" in his sentences once in a while. He might bring people back to the catholic church but not the catholic faith. He seems to have no interest in the actual gospel, he is too busy trying to "make the world a better place", ignoring that this world is inherently the world of death and that the catholic faith is the faith in the individual salvation FROM this world, not the collective salvation OF this world.

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       New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Jesus gospels were always about inclusion.  I'm not sure what you mean by "actual gospel"  because that too was what Jesus wanted....a better place to live and Jesus as well as the Pope show it by living among the people, not above them.

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    Borsiaposted 10 years ago

    I think those who have left the flock have past the breaking point and I doubt that any changes in the church are going to bring them back.
    Some will realize that they don't need a church to practice their faith,
    Some have lost faith and will convert to agnosticism, atheism or some other non-theistic religion.
    I suspect that most who felt a deeper need for a church have already found a different flavor of Christianity.
    I don't think a mere change of Popes is going to reel them back in.
    Being atheist I don't really follow church news so I've only seen the occasional blip in the news, like the wrong turn in Brazil. So I have no idea as to any changes in church policy but trust, once lost, is one of the hardest thing to regain.

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       Billie Kelpinposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Borsia, totally agree. I can't go back, but I DO like the focus of this pope.  I think it will spill over to Evangelical Christians - all religions, and to us who are agnostic or atheist as well. It's the social justice focus that I find hopeful.

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       New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I think too it won't bring back people like me who found it more restrictive then expanding.  He will be good however if he can walk as Jesus did where no one was ever better then anyone else.

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    Billie Kelpinposted 10 years ago

    This is the first time in perhaps over 25 years that I could actually force myself to not be repulsed by looking at a "man of the cloth". The world has been LONGING for someone to speak out on the issues that they know, in their heart of hearts,  are the true issues of Christianity beyond all recent Bible quoting platitudes. This Pope is speaking to the source of one of the world's worst maladies - social injustice.  This is the FIRST time in many, many years that I have heard rhetoric that alludes to the encyclical of Pope John XXIII, "Pacem in Terris":
    "The worker is likewise entitled to a wage that is determined in accordance with the precepts of justice. This needs stressing. The amount a worker receives must be sufficient, in proportion to available funds, to allow him and his family a standard of living consistent with human dignity."
    I have long left any religion behind, but I think, in the mere soundbites I have heard on the news, that this is the person that can propel the modern world forward to meet itself BACK where its intentions were on a more noble and just path because at the core of all the unrest - all the suffering - is injustice. Beyond the tiny percent of true "evil", beyond the 1% of insanity that probably will always exist, beyond all those anomalies, it can be said that when people of the world on a global and individual level feel they are being treated fairly, the people of the world respond. It feels a bit like a new dawning.

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       New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       So true Billie. When Christianity was first formed it was always about inclusion just as the Gospels state, but Religion has misinterpreted much of it and used it for control. My hope is he can start bringing it back to it's roots.

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    erorantesposted 10 years ago

    Pop Francis is a beautiful soul in this planet Earth. He is a good example of good. Unfortunately,  not everyone in the congregation is like him. There are a lot of bad examples in the Catholic religion like in any other religion. Every person in this world has their mind set with their own believe. It is all in the plan of God that no one knows.

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       New Understandingposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks erorantes.  I too used to believe everything was Gods plan too, however now I feel we control our fate. Otherwise freewill would mean nothing.  I applaud the Pope's fearless path for compassion to EVERYONE without exclusion, it is rare indeed.

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