Metlitskaya Zoya Yur’evna – Ph.D. in history, associate professor, Church history department, Faculty of history, Lomonosov Moscow State University
The paper addresses the Encyclicals, Apostolic Letters, messages and speeches of Pope Francisof the last two years (2017–2019); it also focuses on the public response to his initiatives, as it is mirrored in the Catholic and secular mass media. The election of cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Latin American, bishop of Buenos Aires and Jesuit brought forth many hopes and fears. Even before he had done or said anything he was praised as «the gift from Heaven» and scorned as «an agent of communism». Now, after more than five years, the range of opinions hasn’t narrowed, but the emphasis has somewhat shifted. At the same time, the opinions aboutactivity, personality and statements of Pope Francis are often not only a subject of controversy, but also an occasion to criticize the position of political or ideological opponents (especially on issues related to illegal migration). It is worth notice that even within the Catholic Church, both conservative and liberal critics declare that notwithstanding the constant presence of Pope Francis in the public space he is not sufficiently engaged in the affairs of the church itself. The author argues, that this seeming paradox reflects a more general problem, which may be traced in the relations of any Church with the society, in particular with the society of faithful in the epoch of globalization. Although throughout the 20 th century ecclesiology was probably the most popular field of theological studies, the model of the relationships between society and the church, which would allow the latter to maintain (or regain) its own identity in the new, changing, secular, global world, has not yet been elaborated. As a result, none of the participants in the debate has clear guidelines on what ought to be done.
papacy, Pope Francis, migration issue, integral ecology, church and society, Church crisis.
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