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cover of episode An early biography paints Pope Francis as 'The Great Reformer' of the Catholic Church

An early biography paints Pope Francis as 'The Great Reformer' of the Catholic Church

2025/4/22
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奥斯丁·艾弗里
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奥斯丁·艾弗里：我认为教宗方济各与其他教宗的不同之处在于，他与普通人交流的方式。他经常停下来，让与他交谈的人成为主角，关注的焦点是普通人。与之形成对比的是，教宗本笃十六世非常害羞，会远离人群；而教宗若望·保禄二世则像一位伟大的君主，能够吸引大量的追随者。我认为这是一种新的教宗风格，一种新的在人民中间做教宗的方式，那就是让普通人成为主角。 教宗方济各是第一位来自新世界的教宗，这使他对贫困、需要和脆弱性更敏感。从一开始，他就认同并使用了“存在边缘”（existential peripheries）的语言，这指的是痛苦和苦难的地方，在拉丁美洲，它具体指的是环绕城市的贫民窟。他希望教会被视为存在于这些地方，与之认同，并以此为出发点进行布道。这也就是为什么他被认为在拉丁美洲解放神学传统中是一个激进分子。 在阿根廷军事独裁时期，他保持沉默是为了保护耶稣会成员和独裁政权的受害者。公开反对政权会违背他的两个目标：保护耶稣会士和帮助独裁政权的受害者。公开反对只会导致他被压制或流放，无法实现这两个目标。他出色地完成了这两个目标，没有一位耶稣会士丧生，并且他保护了数十个逃离独裁政权的人。 教宗方济各的一些言论似乎迎合了自由派人士，例如他说耶稣救赎了所有人，包括无神论者；他还说教会花太多时间讨论堕胎和同性婚姻。但我认为他的言论不应该被误解为教义上的灵活变通。他是一个正统的天主教徒，但他也是一个布道者和传教士。他关于不应该过多谈论堕胎等问题的观点，并不是说堕胎没有错，而是说仅仅让民众知道教会的立场是不够的，更重要的是展现基督慈悲的面容，一个治愈创伤、扶持人民、宽恕人民的教会。他试图展现教会慈悲的一面，这并不是公关行为，而是因为人们需要先体验到上帝的爱、慈悲和宽恕，然后才能接受其他的教义。皈依的过程是先体验到上帝的爱与慈悲，然后选择基督教生活和道德生活。你不能跳过第一步直接进入第二步。 尽管他的教宗任期还很短，但我相信历史会认为他是伟大的教会改革者之一。他已经做了足够多的事情来改变教会，并且他启动的治理改革是不可逆转的，并将改变未来许多年的教会。我相信未来的教宗们将会继续执行他开始的改革。

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Chapters
This chapter explores Pope Francis's early years as Pope, focusing on his image as a radical reformer and change agent within the Catholic Church. It examines his approach to hot-button issues and his interactions with ordinary people, contrasting his style with previous popes. The chapter also delves into accusations of his complicity in the Argentine dictatorship and his reasons for not speaking out against it.
  • Pope Francis was seen as a radical reformer from the start of his papacy.
  • His communication style differed from previous popes, focusing on ordinary people.
  • Accusations of complicity in the Argentine dictatorship are addressed, explaining his actions during the Dirty War.

Shownotes Transcript

Pope Francis died Monday, leaving behind a legacy as "Pope of the People" and a change agent within the Catholic Church. Austen Ivereigh's The Great Reformer was published just a year into Pope Francis's papacy. But already, the biography argues, the pope had solidified his position as a radical reformer, both in his approach to hot-button issues and his interactions with regular people. In today's episode, we revisit a conversation between Ivereigh and NPR's Eric Westervelt. They discuss Pope Francis's upbringing in Argentina, his approach as an evangelizer, and the way his positions were at times misjudged by certain Catholics and the media.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)