The Bergoglian Principles: Pope Francis’ Dialectical Approach to Political Theology
School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music, Dublin City University, D09N920 Dublin, Ireland
Religions 2019, 10(12), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10120670
Received: 23 November 2019
/
Revised: 9 December 2019
/
Accepted: 10 December 2019
/
Published: 14 December 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Political Theology and Pluralism)
Pope Francis (Jorge Bergoglio) is a complex thinker whose political and theological views range from the illiberal to the radical, defying easy categorization within the binaries of contemporary politics. In this article, I examine the influence of theological debates in the post-Vatican II Latin American church on his development, especially la teología del pueblo, which was, ‘to some extent’, an Argentine variant of liberation theology. This article presents a critical analysis of four ‘Bergoglian principles’—which Francis says are derived from the pillars of Catholic social teaching—first developed when he was the leader of the Jesuits in Argentina during the period of the ‘Dirty War’: time is greater than space; unity prevails over conflict; realities are more important than ideas; and the whole is greater than the part. While Francis’ work draws from a variety of theological roots and employs a range of ethical theories and methods of moral reasoning, it is these principles, with their dialectical and constructive approach to political theology, that remain constant in his work and find expression in his papal writings, including Evangelii Gaudium and Laudato Si’. They clarify his operative priorities in political conflict, pluralistic dialogue, pastoral practice, and theological analysis.
View Full-Text
Keywords:
Pope Francis; Bergoglian principles; teología del pueblo; liberation theology; political theology; historical realism; social criteria; dialectical; Evangelii Gaudium; Laudato Si’; Amoris Laetitia
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Regan, E. The Bergoglian Principles: Pope Francis’ Dialectical Approach to Political Theology. Religions 2019, 10, 670. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10120670
AMA Style
Regan E. The Bergoglian Principles: Pope Francis’ Dialectical Approach to Political Theology. Religions. 2019; 10(12):670. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10120670
Chicago/Turabian StyleRegan, Ethna. 2019. "The Bergoglian Principles: Pope Francis’ Dialectical Approach to Political Theology" Religions 10, no. 12: 670. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10120670
Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
