--- title: Pope Francis Has Taught the Church To Thrive Again description: From the moment he appeared on the loggia of St. Peter’s in a simple white cassock, we knew that Francis was a game changer. canonical: https://time.com/3744783/pope-francis-catholic-church-two-years/ author: Christopher Hale article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-13T22:02:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:05:04.301Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Pope Francis Has Taught the Church To Thrive Again og:description: We knew that Francis was a game changer. og:url: https://time.com/3744783/pope-francis-catholic-church-two-years/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pope Francis Has Taught the Church To Thrive Again twitter:description: We knew that Francis was a game changer. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Pope Francis Has Taught the Church To Thrive Again by [Christopher Hale](https://time.com/author/christopher-j-hale-2/) ## Christopher Hale Mar 13, 2015 10:02 PM UTC by [Christopher Hale](https://time.com/author/christopher-j-hale-2/) ## Christopher Hale Mar 13, 2015 10:02 PM UTC Two years after the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis, the Catholic Church is back. From the moment he appeared on the loggia of St. Peter’s in a simple white cassock, we knew that Francis was a game changer. Images immediately went viral of the newly elected Vicar of Christ [washing the feet of AIDS patients,](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-sympathy-to-drug-addicts-aids-victims/) [riding the bus in Buenos Aires](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/03/13/new-pope-jorge-mario-bergoglio-rode-the-bus-because-he-gave-up-his-limo/) and [ministering to God’s people living in the slums.](http://ncronline.org/blogs/francis-chronicles/pope-francis-gets-his-oxygen-slums) In the two years since, Francis has again and again reminded us of that troublemaker who founded the faith, Jesus of Nazareth. Then again, I guess that’s the point. [Pundits suggested that the Jesuit from Argentina would change his ways](http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/03/conclave-concludes-mass-in-the-sistine-chapel-with-cardinals/) to adapt to the papacy. To the contrary, he has stayed the same priest and man of the poor that he always was and instead has transformed both the papacy and the Church. I’ve experienced this transformation in my own life. Inspired by the Pope’s leadership, I quit my job in politics and took over the leadership of a Catholic organization dedicated to promoting the Church’s social justice agenda in public life. I’m not alone. There are stories everywhere of young and not-so-young Christians responding in even more radical ways to Francis’s call to spread the joy of knowing Jesus and his great Gospel of justice, peace and mercy. Why has Francis resonated with his contemporaries? I think there are three reasons: **He leads with mercy.** The [words from his first Sunday message](http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/francesco-francis-francisco-23304/) as the Bishop of Rome still ring in my ears: “God never tires of forgiving us, but we sometimes tire of asking Him to forgive us. Mercy is God’s most beautiful attribute. And Francis understands during this time of crisis where too many times the Church has failed to communicate God’s unfailing love for us, we must re-present the basic truths of our faith: that we are children of the God. The Lord loves us. Jesus Christ saves us. The Pope cherishes us, and the Church welcomes us. Some of Francis’s detractors argue that this is soft. Nonsense! This is our faith, and this is the faith of the Church. **He leads with authentic joy.** “I cannot imagine,” [Pope Francis says](http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/tech/best-pope-francis-twitter-feed), “a Christian who doesn’t know how to smile.” Yet [the Pope complains](http://www.johnthavis.com/pope-francis-document-delivers-wake-up-call-on-evangelization) that too many peoples’ lives “seem like Lent without Easter.” [He says](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1400862.htm) that we mustn’t always “look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!” [Erich Fromm once offered this critique](https://www.entheos.com/quotes/by%5Fteacher/Erich+Fromm) of modern men and women: “Today we come across an individual who behaves like an automaton, who does not know or understand himself, and the only person that he knows is the person that he is supposed to be, whose meaningless chatter has replaced communicative speech, whose synthetic smile has replaced genuine laughter, and whose sense of dull despair has taken the place of genuine pain.” Francis—from his joy of knowing Jesus—cannot be accused of such a thing. When he encounters men and women, you know [his smile is real,](http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2015/01/15/pinoys-captivated-pope-francis-infectious-smile-386887) [that his tears are authentic](http://ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/pope-francis-if-you-dont-learn-how-weep-youre-not-good-christian) and that his love is inspired. **He leads with humility.** Pope Francis [says a good priest is someone who is so close to his people](https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Article/TabId/535/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/13968/Shepherds-Living-With-the-Smell-of-the-Sheep.aspx) that he becomes a“shepherd living with the smell of the sheep.” He has exemplified this ideal in his own pontificate. He [rejected the apostolic palace.](http://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/pope-of-the-people-pope-francis-to-live-in-vatican-guesthouse-not-papal-apartments/13355) He [washed the feet of Muslim women.](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/28/pope-francis-women-feet-washing) He [affirmed God’s love](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/world/europe/pope-francis-gay-priests.html?%5Fr=0) for the LGBT community. And the list could go on and on. But Francis isn’t doing this for publicity. He [believes that this outward focus must be the prominent disposition](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/11/26/pope-francis-poverty/3759005/) of the entire Christian community: “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” [Paul Rauschenberg said it well](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-raushenbush/christianity-pope-francis-gays%5Fb%5F3671060.html) some time ago: Pope Francis has made it cool to be Christian again. His pontificate is allowing the world to rediscover the great contribution of faith to culture and civic society. At the end of World War II, [Joseph Stalin once arrogantly asked Winston Churchill](http://www.hjta.org/california-commentary/how-many-divisions-does-pope-have/): “How many divisions does the Pope have?” In 2015, we have our answer: The Soviet Union is dead and the Catholic Church is alive. And with Francis leading the flock, the Church isn’t just alive. It’s thriving once again. The [angel Gabriel must have been right](http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/1:37) then: “Nothing is impossible with God.” ### The Most Surprising Photos of Pope Francis  The wind lifts Pope Francis' mantle as he delivers his speech in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, on Sept. 26, 2015. Tony Gentile—AP  Pope Francis looks at the Statue of Liberty from the window of a helicopter on his way to the John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York City, on Sept. 26, 2015. L'Osservatore Romano/AP  A Pope Francis mannequin rides around in a car in Times Square as New York City waits for the arrival of the Pope to the city, on Sept. 24, 2015. Timothy A. Clary—AFP/Getty Images  Kaydn Dorsey, 4, and Lionel Perkins, 4, draw on a coloring sheet bearing the image of Pope Francis as they wait for him to arrive on a visit to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington in Washington, on Sept. 24, 2015. David Goldman—Reuters  Nuns with the Hospitaler Sisters of Mercy in Pleasantville, N.J., pose for a selfie with a cutout of Pope Francis, at the World Meeting of Families conference, in Philadelphia, on Sept. 22, 2015. Matt Rourke—AP  Pope Francis blows out the candles of a birthday cake to celebrate his 78th birthday during a general audience at the Vatican on Dec. 17, 2014. Osservatore Romano/AFP/Getty Images  Paying the bill at Rome's Domus Internationalis Paulus VI hotel, where Pope Francis stayed as a cardinal before entering the conclave and being elected pope. Osservatore Romano/AP  Welcoming Pope emeritus Benedict XVI as he returns to the Vatican from the pontifical summer residence of Castel Gandolfo. Osservatore Romano/AP  Holding a disabled child after celebrating Easter Mass. Alessandro di Meo—ANSA/Zuma Press  Pope Francis masks in a factory in Brazil, where the Pontiff took his first overseas trip. Christophe Simon—AFP/Getty Images  Leading the Worldwide Eucharistic adoration at the Vatican. Alessandra Benedetti—Corbis  A gust of wind blows the pope's mantle. Alessandra Tarantino—AP  Attending the opening of the Pastoral Convention of the Diocese of Rome. Stefano Rellandini—Reuters  Leaving a welcoming ceremony at Guanabara Palace in Rio de Janeiro. Ricardo Moraes—Reuters  Greeting the weekly General Audience. Stefano Rellandini—Reuters  Pointing to the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida from the balcony of the Aparecida basilica in Brazil. Domenico Stinellis—AP  A Catholic faithful in Brazil bears a sticker of Pope Francis on his forehead. Ueslei Marcelino—Reuters  Images of Pope Francis projected onto screens at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Paulo Whitaker— Reuters  Departing Rio de Janeiro. Ricardo Moraes—Reuters  A stray dog walks across the stage near the altar where Pope Francis celebrates the World Youth Day's closing Mass on the Copacabana beachfront. Victor R. Caivano—AP  Listening to confessions of young people in a park in Rio de Janeiro. L'Osservatore Romano—EPA  Posing with youths in Saint Peter's Basilica. L'Osservatore Romano—EPA  Greeting the faithful on a rainy day during the General Audience. Fabio Frustaci—Eidon Press/Zuma Press  Arriving to lead his General Audience in a firefighter's helmet. Stefano Rellandini—Reuters  A quiet moment after meeting with Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo at the Vatican. Max Rossi—Reuters  Marking the 110th anniversary UNITALSI, a Catholic organization dedicated to helping the sick. Francesco Zizola—NOOR for TIME  A private Audience with Russian President Vladimir Putin. L'Osservatore Romano/AP  Keeping warm during a General Audience. Alessandra Tarantino—AP  Comforting a disfigured man at the end of his General Audience. Claudio Peri—EPA  Blessing a sick man with deformed facial features. Evandro Inetti—Zuma Press  Visiting the parish of the Sant'Alfonso Maria de Liguori during the Epiphany day. L'Osservatore Romano—AFP/Getty Images  Reacting to devotees at a weekly General Audience. Alessandro Bianchi—Reuters  A seagull attacks a dove released during a prayer conducted by Pope Francis. Alessandro Bianchi—Reuters  A scarf is tossed at Pope Francis by a faithful. Tony Gentile—Reuters  Italian artist Mauro Pallotta's superhero rendering of Pope Francis in a street near St. Peter's Basilica. Alessandra Benedetti—Corbis  Blowing a kiss to pilgrims gathered at Saint Peter's Square. Vincenzo Pinto—AFP/Getty Images  Meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in the private library of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. Vatican Pool/Contrasto/Redux  With Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at the Vatican. Alessandra Benedetti—Vatican Pool/Corbis  A wind gust lifts Pope Francis's mantle as he arrives at the traditional Washing of the Feet during Holy Thursday. Alberto Pizzoli—AFP/Getty Images  Kissing a man's at the traditional Washing of the Feet. Alberto Pizzoli—AFP/Getty Images  Visitors take photos of Pope Francis as he speaks from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. 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