The first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years, and someone with an outspoken style and radically different leadership style has made Pope Francis one of the most controversial pope’s ever.
His views on church reform, poverty, climate change and divorce have shaken up world opinion and placed him firmly in the media spotlight. His visits to Israel and Cuba, the welcoming of Palestine president, Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican, his address to the U.S. Congress and willingness to meet world leaders demonstrate that he is a pope unafraid of international diplomacy. A real leader does not shy away from crisis and debate, but embraces them as part of finding a solution. Here are his views on ten key issues, in his own words:
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1. Human Rights
“Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that creates huge inequalities.”
2. Equality
“We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.”
3. Peace
“Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is good… Everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them. That would be enough to make the world a better place.”
4. Finance
“There is a need for financial reform along ethical lines that would produce in its turn an economic reform to benefit everyone. This would nevertheless require a courageous change of attitude on the part of political leaders.”
5. Work
“Together with a culture of work, there must be a culture of leisure as gratification. To put it another way: people who work must take the time to relax, to be with their families, to enjoy themselves, read, listen to music, play a sport.”
6. The Environment
“May the relationship between man and nature not be driven by greed, to manipulate and exploit, but may the divine harmony between beings and creation be conserved in the logic of respect and care.”
7. Sustainability
“Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years.”
8. World Economy
“The idea of infinite or unlimited growth, which proves so attractive to economists, financiers and experts in technology … is based on the lie that there is an infinite supply of the earth’s goods, and this leads to the planet being squeezed dry at every limit.”
9. Government
“Every man, every woman who has to take up the service of government, must ask themselves two questions: ‘Do I love my people in order to serve them better? Am I humble and do I listen to everybody, to diverse opinions in order to choose the best path?’ If you don’t ask those questions, your governance will not be good.”
10. Power
“You cannot be in a position of power and destroy the life of another person.”
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